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 120 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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. clip — to cut
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. lean — thin
  8. spell — magic
  9. cap — a lid
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. pop — soda
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cap — of ice
  15. lean — to bend
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. clip — for paper
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. clip — a video
  20. spell — letters
  21. pop — to visit
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. pop — music
  24. spell — a short time

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