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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. drill — a practice
  3. drill — army training
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. chip — to eat
  6. branch — a division
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. cell — a phone
  10. file — a tool
  11. cell — in biology
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. file — a line of people
  14. drill — the tool
  15. chip — for betting
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. saw — the tool
  21. file — a document
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. saw — the tool

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