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 · pitcher · pit · row · straw · trunk · bound · bowl

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bound — obliged
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. row — a line
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pit — a hole
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. prune — to trim
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bound — tied together
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bound — certain
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bowl — to roll

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