ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: net · chair · sharp · wake · temple · prune · march · track

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. net — in sport
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. net — after costs
  7. track — a path
  8. march — music
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. march — the month
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. wake — a trail
  14. track — to keep track
  15. prune — to trim
  16. chair — a leader
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. march — the month
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. prune — to trim
  23. sharp — clever
  24. track — a song

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com