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 120 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. pop — soda
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. object — an aim
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — not warm
  7. pop — music
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. march — the month
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. object — a thing
  19. pop — to visit
  20. sharp — clever
  21. snap — to click
  22. cold — an illness
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. object — to protest

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