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 · toast · stand · temple · hide · degree · wake · cell

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. stand — to bear
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. wake — a trail
  9. degree — from a university
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. degree — temperature
  18. toast — bread
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. cell — a phone
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. cell — in biology
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. degree — an amount

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