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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. swing — music
  3. swing — in golf
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. swing — to play on
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. present — the time now
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. hand — in cards
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. hand — help
  13. file — a document
  14. cell — in biology
  15. kick — in football
  16. present — there
  17. file — a tool
  18. cell — a phone
  19. file — a line of people
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. present — a gift
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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