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: kid · last · wave · scale · field · present · trunk · land

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. land — a country
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. scale — size or range
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. present — a gift
  8. land — to come down
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. last — final
  11. field — a subject
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. kid — child
  14. field — farmland
  15. land — ground
  16. last — finally
  17. scale — in music
  18. field — for sport
  19. present — the time now
  20. present — there
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. kid — to tease
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. last — to go on

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