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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. chest — of your body
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. ground — a position
  5. rest — what's left
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. object — a thing
  8. rest — what's left
  9. spring — the season
  10. chest — a box
  11. rest — a break
  12. ground — crushed
  13. object — to protest
  14. object — an aim
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. toast — bread
  17. chest — of your body
  18. ground — the earth
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. spring — of water
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. spring — a coil

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