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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. prune — to trim
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. band — a ring
  5. court — of a king
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. kid — to tease
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. kid — child
  11. court — of law
  12. season — in sport
  13. court — for sport
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. band — a music group
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. prune — to trim
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — of the year

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