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: wound · object · current · pitch · prune · nail · clip · deal

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. clip — to cut
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. wound — an injury
  10. prune — to trim
  11. object — to protest
  12. deal — to handle
  13. clip — a video
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. current — happening now
  17. current — electric
  18. wound — an injury
  19. pitch — completely
  20. clip — for paper
  21. object — an aim
  22. current — of water
  23. object — a thing
  24. deal — an agreement

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