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 112 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. degree — from a university
  4. ball — a great time
  5. saw — the tool
  6. land — a country
  7. bank — for money
  8. land — ground
  9. degree — an amount
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. mine — for digging
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. bank — for money
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. chair — a leader
  18. bank — of a river
  19. saw — the tool
  20. ball — a dance
  21. degree — temperature
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. ball — a round shape

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