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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. wake — a trail
  6. bank — for money
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. rush — hurry
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. cap — a lid
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bank — of a river
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bat — the animal
  19. game — a match
  20. kick — in football
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. cap — a hat
  24. kick — with a leg

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