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: foot · spring · prune · charge · capital · straw · file · content

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. prune — to trim
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. foot — a measure
  5. file — a line of people
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. capital — money
  8. capital — a city
  9. spring — of water
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. file — a tool
  12. charge — a price
  13. charge — electricity
  14. content — happy
  15. content — the amount
  16. spring — a coil
  17. file — a document
  18. charge — in control
  19. prune — to trim
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. spring — the season
  24. prune — the fruit

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