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: calf · trunk · cold · capital · coach · sharp · bulb · row

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — for light
  3. row — a line
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. row — to paddle
  7. sharp — clever
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. capital — money
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. cold — not warm
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. cold — an illness
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. trunk — of a car

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