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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. land — ground
  5. march — the month
  6. march — music
  7. land — a country
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. cell — a phone
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. mark — a grade
  12. roll — a list
  13. cell — in biology
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. march — the month
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. roll — a cake
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. trunk — of a tree

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