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: stick · pitcher · calf · capital · trunk · mug · last · cold

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. capital — money
  6. last — to go on
  7. capital — a city
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. last — final
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mug — to rob
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. cold — not warm
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mug — a cup
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. last — finally
  20. cold — an illness
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. mug — a face
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cold — the Cold War

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