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

Word bank: trunk · deal · ball · can · mug · tear · mine · cold

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. tear — from crying
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. ball — a great time
  6. mine — for digging
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. tear — to rip
  10. mug — a cup
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. cold — an illness
  14. tear — from crying
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. can — a tin
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mug — a face
  21. deal — to handle
  22. ball — a dance
  23. mug — to rob
  24. can — a tin

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