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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. net — in sport
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. capital — money
  5. rule — a law
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. fall — to drop
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. scale — size or range
  13. rule — government
  14. fall — the season
  15. net — for catching
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. net — after costs
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. kick — in football
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. scale — in music
  22. foot — a measure
  23. scale — for weighing
  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