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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. last — final
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. cell — a phone
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. last — to go on
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. dip — to sink
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. rush — hurry
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — in biology
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. kick — in football
  21. last — finally
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. toast — bread
  24. kick — with a leg

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