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 116 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: club · pitcher · fall · safe · capital · prune · mate · spring

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. mate — to breed
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. mate — a friend
  6. spring — of water
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. fall — to drop
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. club — for golf
  12. spring — a coil
  13. mate — a partner
  14. capital — a city
  15. spring — the season
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. capital — money
  20. club — for dancing
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. club — a group
  23. fall — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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