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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. scale — in music
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. mate — a partner
  7. chest — of your body
  8. mate — a friend
  9. spring — a coil
  10. chest — a box
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mate — to breed
  15. spring — of water
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. rush — hurry
  18. chest — of your body
  19. spring — the season
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. scale — size or range
  23. squash — the sport
  24. mark — a trace

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