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: shower · sharp · file · prune · pitch · dip · court · stem

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. court — of a king
  4. dip — to sink
  5. court — of law
  6. shower — rain
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a document
  9. shower — to wash
  10. court — for sport
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. stem — to come from
  17. file — a tool
  18. pitch — completely
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. prune — to trim
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. prune — to trim
  24. stem — a stem cell

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