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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. foot — a measure
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. snap — to click
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. cell — a phone
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. date — the fruit
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a tool
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. file — a document
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — after costs
  23. cell — in biology
  24. net — in sport

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