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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. fine — all right
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. game — a match
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wake — a trail
  8. ground — a position
  9. fine — high quality
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. ground — the earth
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. pop — music
  16. bat — the animal
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — soda
  21. game — wild animals
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. ground — crushed

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