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 116 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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. prune — to trim
  10. degree — an amount
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. degree — temperature
  14. lean — thin
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. sharp — clever
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. hand — help
  20. degree — from a university
  21. lean — to bend
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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