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: prune · race · craft · date · foot · snap · present · tear

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. prune — to trim
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. foot — a measure
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. race — humankind
  7. tear — from crying
  8. date — the fruit
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. tear — from crying
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. craft — a skill
  13. present — there
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. snap — to click
  16. craft — boats
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. race — a contest
  20. present — the time now
  21. race — the arms race
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. prune — to trim
  24. tear — to rip

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