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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. swing — in golf
  4. cap — a hat
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. craft — boats
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. cold — not warm
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. branch — a division
  15. rule — a law
  16. craft — a skill
  17. kick — in football
  18. cold — an illness
  19. rule — government
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. cap — of ice
  22. swing — music
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. swing — to play on

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