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: chest · stand · prune · straw · roll · deal · court · date

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. court — of law
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. prune — to trim
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. court — of a king
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. roll — a cake
  12. court — for sport
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. chest — of your body
  15. deal — to handle
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. date — the fruit
  21. stand — to bear
  22. roll — a list
  23. chest — a box
  24. stand — on your feet

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