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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. fall — to drop
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bat — the animal
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. bass — the fish
  10. fall — to drop
  11. root — of a plant
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. root — of a word
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. root — the cause
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bass — low music
  22. fall — the season
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bat — in an idiom

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