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: pop · board · sharp · rash · pitcher · last · mine · prune

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. rash — hasty
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pop — music
  5. last — to go on
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. board — to get on
  9. rash — a series
  10. board — a committee
  11. last — final
  12. pop — soda
  13. sharp — clever
  14. last — finally
  15. pop — to visit
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. prune — to trim

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