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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. season — in sport
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. land — ground
  6. hand — help
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. tear — to rip
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. land — a country
  12. tear — from crying
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. tear — from crying
  15. hand — in cards
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. foot — a measure
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. land — to come down
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. season — of the year

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