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: lie · roll · coach · season · charge · kick · trunk · degree

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. degree — an amount
  3. season — of the year
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. charge — electricity
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. charge — in control
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. lie — to recline
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kick — in football
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. roll — a list
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. degree — from a university
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. degree — temperature
  21. roll — a cake
  22. season — in sport
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. charge — a price

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