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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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 a tree
  3. race — a contest
  4. capital — a city
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. firm — a company
  8. firm — steady
  9. field — farmland
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. dip — to sink
  12. race — the arms race
  13. race — humankind
  14. firm — decided
  15. hand — help
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — for sport
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. hand — in cards
  23. capital — money
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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