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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. race — humankind
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. field — a subject
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. stock — goods
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. race — a contest
  10. stock — shares
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. field — farmland
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. field — for sport
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. race — the arms race
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. chair — a leader
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. straw — dry grass

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