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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. race — a contest
  3. hand — in cards
  4. clip — for paper
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. wake — a trail
  7. kid — to tease
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. race — humankind
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. hand — help
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. clip — to cut
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. race — the arms race
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. clip — a video

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