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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. key — in music
  4. swing — music
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. march — the month
  7. cold — an illness
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. key — for a lock
  13. swing — to play on
  14. march — the month
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. swing — in golf
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. key — the most important part
  22. march — music
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. cell — in biology

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