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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. track — to keep track
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. clip — to cut
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. wound — an injury
  8. track — a song
  9. bark — to shout
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. track — a path
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. clip — for paper
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — a break
  23. clip — a video
  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