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: net · chest · court · hide · prune · ruler · spring · bat

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. net — in sport
  6. spring — of water
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. court — for sport
  10. bat — the animal
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. spring — a coil
  13. court — of law
  14. spring — the season
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. net — after costs
  17. court — of a king
  18. chest — a box
  19. chest — of your body
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. prune — to trim
  22. net — for catching
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. ruler — a monarch

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