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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. hand — help
  11. kick — in football
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — a trail
  16. hand — in cards
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. capital — a city
  20. mine — for digging
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. chair — a leader
  24. capital — money

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