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 116 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: hand · court · band · trunk · kid · dip · squash · cell

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. court — for sport
  5. band — a ring
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. cell — in biology
  8. hand — in cards
  9. cell — a phone
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. kid — child
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. band — a music group
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. hand — help
  19. kid — to tease
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. squash — the sport
  22. court — of law
  23. dip — to sink
  24. court — of a king

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