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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. pit — in a race
  3. plane — a tool
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. scale — in music
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. clip — for paper
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. scale — size or range
  17. mine — for digging
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. clip — a video
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. pit — a hole
  22. clip — to cut
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mine — an explosive

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