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 · temple · calf · cold · patient · court · wave · lash

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. court — of law
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. court — for sport
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. cold — an illness
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. cold — not warm
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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