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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. pit — in a race
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. charge — a price
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. staff — a stick
  10. charge — electricity
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. charge — in control
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. staff — employees
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. staff — employees
  22. kid — to tease
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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