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: craft · saw · tube · content · trunk · chest · season · fall

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. content — the amount
  4. fall — the season
  5. chest — of your body
  6. saw — the tool
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — of the year
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. fall — to drop
  13. saw — the tool
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. chest — a box
  17. fall — to drop
  18. tube — a container
  19. craft — boats
  20. chest — of your body
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. tube — the underground
  23. craft — a skill
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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