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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. object — to protest
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. board — a committee
  9. dip — to sink
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. hand — in cards
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. clip — for paper
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. shower — rain
  18. clip — a video
  19. hand — help
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. object — an aim
  22. clip — to cut
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. board — to get on

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