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: clip · fork · mark · trunk · net · pitch · prune · pop

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pop — music
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. mark — a trace
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — to cut
  12. pitch — completely
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. pop — to visit
  15. net — for catching
  16. clip — a video
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. fork — in a road
  20. net — in sport
  21. pop — soda
  22. net — after costs
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. mark — a grade

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