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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. clip — a video
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. row — a line
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. season — in sport
  8. tear — to rip
  9. row — to paddle
  10. clip — for paper
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. can — a tin
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. tear — from crying
  17. season — of the year
  18. dip — to sink
  19. tear — from crying
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. clip — to cut
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — to be able to

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