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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. swing — in golf
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. swing — music
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. sharp — clever
  12. pop — music
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — money
  15. bulb — for light
  16. pop — soda
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. swing — to play on
  20. bulb — for light
  21. pop — to visit
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. capital — a city

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