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 116 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — child
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. cell — in biology
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rash — a series
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. cap — a lid
  13. present — there
  14. rash — hasty
  15. cap — of ice
  16. sharp — clever
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cap — a hat
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. present — a gift
  23. cell — a phone
  24. present — the time now

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