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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. wind — moving air
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. rock — music
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. scale — in music
  18. pitch — completely
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. bear — the animal
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — size or range
  24. wind — moving air

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