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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. staff — a stick
  4. degree — temperature
  5. chip — to eat
  6. staff — employees
  7. season — in sport
  8. net — after costs
  9. chip — for betting
  10. net — for catching
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. kid — to tease
  15. staff — employees
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. season — of the year
  18. kid — child
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. net — in sport
  21. degree — from a university
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. degree — an amount
  24. calf — a young animal

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