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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. cold — not warm
  3. swing — music
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. face — to confront
  7. land — ground
  8. swing — in golf
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. swing — to play on
  11. cold — an illness
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. rock — music
  14. land — to come down
  15. face — part of the head
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. land — a country
  18. pit — a hole
  19. pit — in a race
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. face — to point toward
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. rock — a stone

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