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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. fine — all right
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bass — low music
  5. cue — for pool
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. capital — a city
  9. hand — in cards
  10. capital — money
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — in sport
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. hand — help
  16. cue — a hint
  17. fine — high quality
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. kick — in football
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. trunk — of a tree

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