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 120 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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. capital — a city
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. snap — to click
  8. wind — moving air
  9. march — the month
  10. capital — money
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. object — an aim
  13. object — to protest
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. object — a thing
  18. march — the month
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. march — music
  21. content — the amount
  22. wind — moving air
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. content — happy

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