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: kick · date · trunk · staff · wind · bark · mate · press

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bark — to shout
  3. date — the fruit
  4. mate — a friend
  5. wind — moving air
  6. press — a publisher
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. wind — moving air
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. press — to push
  12. staff — employees
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. kick — in football
  17. staff — a stick
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. mate — a partner
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. press — newspapers
  24. mate — to breed

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