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 120 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: march · face · tube · safe · dip · kid · key · prune

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  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. prune — to trim
  2. prune — to trim
  3. march — music
  4. key — for a lock
  5. face — to confront
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. kid — child
  8. march — the month
  9. tube — a container
  10. key — the most important part
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. march — the month
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. dip — to sink
  16. tube — the underground
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. key — in music
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. kid — to tease
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to point toward
  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