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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. court — of a king
  4. court — of law
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. root — the cause
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. root — of a word
  17. court — for sport
  18. object — a thing
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a dance
  21. perch — the fish
  22. root — of a plant
  23. object — an aim
  24. ball — a round shape

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