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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. roll — a cake
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. kick — in football
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — the underground
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. tube — a container
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. wound — an injury
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. roll — a list
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. dip — to sink
  24. dip — a sauce

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