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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. spell — letters
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. spell — magic
  7. cold — not warm
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. spell — a short time
  13. drill — the tool
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — for money
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. bank — of a river
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. cold — an illness
  20. drill — a practice
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. sharp — clever
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. drill — army training

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