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 124 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: pit · saw · season · game · mate · lie · prune · cold

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. pit — a hole
  6. prune — to trim
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. game — wild animals
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mate — a friend
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pit — in a race
  14. game — a match
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cold — an illness
  17. lie — to recline
  18. saw — the tool
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. season — of the year
  21. cold — not warm
  22. prune — to trim
  23. season — in sport
  24. mate — to breed

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