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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wound — an injury
  4. present — there
  5. land — ground
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. present — the time now
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. rash — hasty
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. face — part of the head
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. face — to point toward
  17. bat — the animal
  18. wound — an injury
  19. face — to confront
  20. land — a country
  21. rash — a series
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. present — a gift

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