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 120 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 · game · stem · chest · leaves · kick · face · season

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. face — to point toward
  4. chest — a box
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. chest — of your body
  7. face — part of the head
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. kick — in football
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. face — to confront
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. game — a match
  17. chest — of your body
  18. game — wild animals
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. season — in sport
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. trunk — of a car

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