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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. tube — a container
  4. charge — a price
  5. charge — in control
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — to crush
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. chest — a box
  13. tube — the underground
  14. charge — electricity
  15. chip — to eat
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mark — a grade
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bat — the animal
  21. chip — for betting
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. chest — of your body
  24. squash — the vegetable

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