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: last · prune · staff · bat · shower · tube · snap · fork

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — a container
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. shower — rain
  8. snap — to click
  9. last — finally
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. staff — employees
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bat — the animal
  14. last — final
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. last — to go on
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. staff — employees
  19. fork — in a road
  20. staff — a stick
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — to trim
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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