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: rule · wound · prune · bank · tear · pitch · net · ground

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. tear — from crying
  3. net — in sport
  4. wound — an injury
  5. tear — from crying
  6. ground — the earth
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bank — for money
  9. wound — an injury
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. net — for catching
  12. ground — a position
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. bank — for money
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. ground — crushed
  19. rule — a law
  20. tear — to rip
  21. net — after costs
  22. rule — government
  23. bank — of a river
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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