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: wind · board · pit · prune · bear · season · date · craft

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. wind — moving air
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bear — the animal
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. craft — a skill
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. pit — in a race
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — of the year
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. board — to get on
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. date — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. board — a committee
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bear — the animal
  20. pit — a hole
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wind — moving air

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