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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. net — for catching
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. spring — of water
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. dip — to sink
  9. net — in sport
  10. spring — the season
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. net — after costs
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. kick — in football
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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