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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. can — to be able to
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. degree — temperature
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. can — a tin
  8. degree — an amount
  9. scale — in music
  10. scale — size or range
  11. wound — an injury
  12. can — a tin
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. game — wild animals
  16. wound — an injury
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. game — a match
  21. degree — from a university
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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