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: straw · bulb · date · track · race · prune · march · cell

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. bulb — for light
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. march — music
  8. track — a song
  9. cell — in biology
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bulb — for light
  12. race — humankind
  13. prune — to trim
  14. date — the fruit
  15. race — the arms race
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. track — a path
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. march — the month
  22. track — to keep track
  23. march — the month
  24. race — a contest

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