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: pitcher · temple · ball · dip · wind · trunk · pop · prune

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. ball — a great time
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pop — soda
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. prune — to trim
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pop — to visit
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. wind — moving air
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. pop — music
  15. dip — to sink
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. wind — moving air
  21. ball — a dance
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. wind — to turn a key

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