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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mate — a partner
  4. roll — a cake
  5. rest — a break
  6. pit — a hole
  7. roll — a list
  8. pit — in a race
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. mate — a friend
  15. press — a publisher
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. mate — to breed
  18. press — to push
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. press — newspapers
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. fan — a supporter

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