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: court · shower · press · wound · season · temple · current · trunk

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. season — of the year
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. wound — an injury
  5. press — to push
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. court — of law
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — of water
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. press — a publisher
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. season — in sport
  16. current — electric
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — to wash
  19. press — newspapers
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of a king
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. trunk — of a tree

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