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: saw · chair · rash · net · prune · ball · land · dip

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. land — to come down
  3. prune — to trim
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. ball — a great time
  7. land — ground
  8. rash — a series
  9. saw — the tool
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. land — a country
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. ball — a dance
  15. chair — a leader
  16. net — for catching
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. net — after costs
  19. dip — to sink
  20. net — in sport
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. saw — the tool
  23. rash — hasty
  24. chair — to sit on

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