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: sharp · field · content · straw · vault · stick · prune · wound

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. field — a subject
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. content — the amount
  6. field — farmland
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. vault — a safe
  11. wound — an injury
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. prune — to trim
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. prune — to trim
  24. field — for sport

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