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: rule · spring · trunk · field · calf · kick · last · swing

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. swing — in golf
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. rule — a law
  6. field — farmland
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. last — finally
  10. field — a subject
  11. swing — music
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — the season
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. kick — in football
  19. last — final
  20. rule — government
  21. last — to go on
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. field — for sport
  24. swing — to play 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