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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. cap — a lid
  4. file — a document
  5. mate — to breed
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. cap — of ice
  8. club — a group
  9. mate — a partner
  10. land — to come down
  11. mate — a friend
  12. land — a country
  13. file — a line of people
  14. cap — a hat
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pop — to visit
  17. perch — the fish
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. pop — music
  20. club — for golf
  21. file — a tool
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. pop — soda
  24. club — for dancing

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