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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. roll — a cake
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. court — of a king
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. court — for sport
  14. content — the amount
  15. dip — to sink
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. spring — of water
  18. content — happy
  19. spring — a coil
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. court — of law
  23. roll — a list
  24. spring — the season

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