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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. tear — from crying
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. mark — a trace
  7. last — to go on
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mark — a grade
  10. capital — a city
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. tear — to rip
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. last — final
  16. capital — money
  17. last — finally
  18. sharp — clever
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. staff — employees
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. staff — a stick
  24. arm — a part of something

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