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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — the animal
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. band — a music group
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. saw — the tool
  9. band — a ring
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. row — a line
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. charge — a price
  15. charge — in control
  16. row — to paddle
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. game — a match
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. saw — the tool
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. charge — electricity

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