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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fall · trunk · cold · race · staff · chest

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. fall — the season
  4. cold — an illness
  5. staff — a stick
  6. chest — a box
  7. fall — to drop
  8. race — a contest
  9. staff — employees
  10. race — humankind
  11. chest — of your body
  12. race — the arms race
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. cold — not warm
  16. staff — employees
  17. chest — of your body
  18. fall — to drop

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