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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cell — a phone
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. firm — steady
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. cold — an illness
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. roll — a list
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. firm — a company
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bear — the animal
  14. key — in music
  15. cell — in biology
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. bear — the animal
  18. mark — a trace
  19. cold — not warm
  20. key — for a lock
  21. key — the most important part
  22. mark — a grade
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. roll — a cake

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