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: squash · content · board · object · hide · degree · last · prune

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — to trim
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. content — happy
  6. board — a committee
  7. squash — to crush
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. degree — an amount
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. degree — temperature
  12. squash — the sport
  13. degree — from a university
  14. last — to go on
  15. content — the amount
  16. last — finally
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. object — to protest
  19. object — a thing
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. object — an aim
  23. board — to get on
  24. last — final

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