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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. race — the arms race
  5. march — music
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — a video
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. march — the month
  11. bat — the animal
  12. race — a contest
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. march — the month
  16. pit — a hole
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. race — humankind
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. clip — to cut
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. bat — in an idiom

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