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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. fine — all right
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. fine — high quality
  5. cue — a signal
  6. drill — army training
  7. court — of a king
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. drill — the tool
  14. court — of law
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cell — in biology
  17. drill — a practice
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. court — for sport
  20. cell — a phone
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. cue — a hint

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