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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. clip — to cut
  3. fork — in a road
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pit — in a race
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. scale — size or range
  13. stem — to come from
  14. wake — a trail
  15. pit — a hole
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. scale — in music
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — a video
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bowl — a dish

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