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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. swing — music
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. mine — for digging
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bass — low music
  13. swing — to play on
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bass — the fish
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. stand — to bear
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. swing — in golf

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