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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. bass — the fish
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. mug — a face
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. clip — to cut
  7. mug — a cup
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bat — the animal
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. ground — a position
  13. hand — help
  14. clip — a video
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. hand — in cards
  18. ground — the earth
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. ground — crushed
  21. bass — low music
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. mug — to rob
  24. clip — for paper

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