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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. board — a committee
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of law
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. file — a line of people
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. file — a document
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bear — the animal
  15. fall — the season
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. fall — to drop
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. file — a tool
  22. court — of a king
  23. board — to get on
  24. fall — to drop

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