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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. cell — a phone
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. bass — low music
  8. bass — the fish
  9. wake — a trail
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. row — to paddle
  14. craft — boats
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. craft — a skill
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. cell — in biology
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. chair — a leader
  24. row — a quarrel

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