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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. track — a path
  5. track — to keep track
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitch — completely
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. present — there
  13. fine — high quality
  14. present — the time now
  15. hand — help
  16. fine — all right
  17. hand — in cards
  18. present — a gift
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. deal — to handle
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — to wash
  24. track — a song

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