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: pitcher · rock · prune · clip · nail · object · track · present

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. present — there
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — to cut
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. rock — music
  10. track — a path
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. present — the time now
  14. object — to protest
  15. object — an aim
  16. present — a gift
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. rock — a stone
  19. clip — a video
  20. object — a thing
  21. prune — to trim
  22. track — a song
  23. prune — to trim
  24. track — to keep track

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