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: foot · capital · cell · trunk · drill · hand · deal · mine

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. foot — a measure
  5. cell — a phone
  6. hand — help
  7. drill — the tool
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. capital — a city
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. capital — money
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. drill — a practice
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. cell — in biology
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. deal — to handle
  21. drill — army training
  22. hand — in cards
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. capital — a big letter

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