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: prune · hide · net · capital · wound · key · vault · arm

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. key — in music
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. capital — money
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. key — the most important part
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. wound — an injury
  15. vault — a safe
  16. net — in sport
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. key — for a lock
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. net — for catching
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. wound — an injury
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — a city

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