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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. ball — a dance
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. suit — clothes
  8. scale — size or range
  9. kick — in football
  10. suit — in cards
  11. scale — in music
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. last — to go on
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. last — finally
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. ball — a great time
  21. suit — to fit
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. last — final

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