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 120 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: firm · stock · pitch · straw · land · plane · spring · prune

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. pitch — completely
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. firm — a company
  7. firm — decided
  8. stock — goods
  9. spring — of water
  10. plane — a tool
  11. prune — to trim
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. firm — steady
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. stock — shares
  18. land — ground
  19. spring — a coil
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. prune — to trim
  22. land — a country
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. spring — the season

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