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 120 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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bank — for money
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. bank — for money
  9. file — a line of people
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. face — to point toward
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. row — a line
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. bank — of a river
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to confront
  19. file — a tool
  20. kick — in football
  21. row — to paddle
  22. chair — a leader
  23. file — a document
  24. trunk — of a tree

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