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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. spring — the season
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. spring — of water
  7. root — of a word
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. root — of a plant
  10. lean — to bend
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. march — music
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. lean — thin
  15. march — the month
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. spring — a coil
  20. march — the month
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. root — the cause
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. kid — to tease

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