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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. saw — the tool
  7. game — wild animals
  8. saw — the tool
  9. clip — a video
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. land — a country
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. swing — in golf
  14. clip — for paper
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. land — ground
  17. kid — child
  18. swing — music
  19. kid — to tease
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. clip — to cut
  22. game — a match
  23. land — to come down
  24. swing — to play 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