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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. mate — a friend
  5. cold — an illness
  6. sharp — clever
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. stock — shares
  9. season — in sport
  10. cold — not warm
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. stock — goods
  15. season — of the year
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. mate — to breed
  19. lie — to recline
  20. mate — a partner
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. cold — the Cold War

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