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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. shower — rain
  3. clip — to cut
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. clip — for paper
  6. net — after costs
  7. shower — to wash
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bat — the animal
  14. clip — a video
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. net — in sport
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. net — for catching
  24. trunk — of a tree

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