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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. mate — a partner
  6. row — a line
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. row — to paddle
  9. bat — the animal
  10. track — a song
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. track — to keep track
  15. track — a path
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. mate — to breed
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. mate — a friend

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