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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. perch — the fish
  4. clip — a video
  5. clip — to cut
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. row — a line
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kick — in football
  13. row — to paddle
  14. clip — for paper
  15. plane — a tool
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. vault — a safe
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — to tire

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