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 120 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: trunk · last · court · bear · fall · patient · cue · land

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. last — finally
  6. bear — the animal
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. court — of law
  9. land — a country
  10. fall — to drop
  11. court — for sport
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cue — a hint
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. bear — the animal
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. last — to go on
  19. court — of a king
  20. last — final
  21. land — to come down
  22. fall — to drop
  23. land — ground
  24. fall — the season

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