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: trunk · wound · pit · pop · kid · capital · land · wave

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. capital — money
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. land — a country
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. pop — music
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. kid — child
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. pop — to visit
  15. wound — an injury
  16. capital — a city
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pop — soda
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. land — ground
  21. pit — in a race
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. kid — to tease
  24. wound — an injury

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