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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. degree — from a university
  3. cell — a phone
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. craft — boats
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. craft — a skill
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. kick — in football
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. cell — in biology
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. wound — an injury
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. degree — temperature
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. degree — an amount

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