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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. staff — a stick
  4. spell — letters
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — moving air
  11. spell — a short time
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. spell — magic
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. staff — employees

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