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: leaves · net · march · pop · court · prune · file · current

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. pop — soda
  3. net — after costs
  4. march — music
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. march — the month
  7. prune — to trim
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. net — in sport
  10. current — of water
  11. file — a tool
  12. net — for catching
  13. file — a document
  14. court — for sport
  15. current — electric
  16. pop — music
  17. pop — to visit
  18. court — of a king
  19. file — a line of people
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. march — the month
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. current — happening now

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