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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. squash — to crush
  3. spring — a coil
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. scale — size or range
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. squash — the sport
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. scale — in music
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. spring — of water
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. spring — the season
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. cell — a phone
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. row — to paddle
  22. row — a line
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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