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: capital · racket · can · fan · wound · squash · straw · trunk

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. wound — an injury
  4. can — a tin
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. squash — the sport
  7. can — to be able to
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. capital — money
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. can — a tin
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. capital — a city
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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