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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. content — happy
  3. spell — a short time
  4. mate — a partner
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. mate — to breed
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. capital — money
  9. content — the amount
  10. rash — hasty
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. scale — in music
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. scale — size or range
  18. mate — a friend
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. capital — a city
  21. spell — magic
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. spell — letters

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