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 116 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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bulb — for light
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. season — of the year
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. dip — to sink
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. season — in sport
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. mine — for digging

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