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: mark · pit · bowl · field · prune · clip · wake · pop

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. pop — music
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — a subject
  5. clip — a video
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pop — to visit
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. pop — soda
  13. field — farmland
  14. wake — a trail
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — a trace
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. clip — for paper
  23. pit — a hole
  24. wake — before a funeral

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