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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. capital — a city
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. swing — in golf
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. season — in sport
  8. swing — music
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. capital — money
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. season — of the year
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. swing — to play on
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. bark — to shout

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