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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. prune — to trim
  4. game — wild animals
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. can — to be able to
  7. net — for catching
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. net — after costs
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. prune — to trim
  13. can — a tin
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. game — a match
  17. net — in sport
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. can — a tin
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. pitch — completely
  24. calf — a young animal

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