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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  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. trunk — of an elephant
  2. last — final
  3. cold — an illness
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. rock — music
  10. last — finally
  11. current — electric
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. cell — in biology
  15. current — of water
  16. cell — a phone
  17. current — happening now
  18. cold — not warm
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. last — to go on
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. board — to get on
  23. board — a committee
  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