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 124 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. pop — music
  3. mug — to rob
  4. last — to go on
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. shower — rain
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. clip — a video
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. pop — to visit
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. last — final
  15. last — finally
  16. shower — to wash
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. mug — a face
  19. pop — soda
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. clip — for paper
  22. mug — a cup
  23. hand — help
  24. clip — to cut

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