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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. deal — to handle
  9. track — to keep track
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. vault — a safe
  12. wake — a trail
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. track — a path
  19. row — a line
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. saw — the tool
  22. track — a song
  23. row — to paddle
  24. bat — the animal

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