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 120 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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. sharp — clever
  4. ground — the earth
  5. clip — a video
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. cell — in biology
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. clip — for paper
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. mark — a trace
  12. ground — a position
  13. mark — a grade
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. foot — a measure
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. ground — crushed
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. cell — a phone

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