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: present · prune · chair · kid · jam · row · drill · field

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. present — the time now
  3. kid — to tease
  4. chair — a leader
  5. present — there
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. drill — the tool
  8. row — to paddle
  9. drill — a practice
  10. field — a subject
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. drill — army training
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. kid — child
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — a line
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. present — a gift
  21. prune — to trim
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — for sport
  24. prune — to trim

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