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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. rule — a law
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. bulb — for light
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. capital — a city
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — a video
  14. race — a contest
  15. rule — government
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. race — humankind
  19. clip — to cut
  20. race — the arms race
  21. kick — in football
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. jam — in traffic

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