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: fine · court · bear · prune · clip · chest · track · fan

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. clip — for paper
  3. court — of a king
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. track — a path
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. fine — all right
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. court — of law
  14. prune — to trim
  15. clip — to cut
  16. track — to keep track
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. chest — a box
  19. clip — a video
  20. court — for sport
  21. fine — high quality
  22. track — a song
  23. chest — of your body
  24. fine — a penalty

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