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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wake · plane · chair · kid · row · pit · bound · trunk

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. wake — a trail
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. kid — to tease
  6. pit — a hole
  7. kid — child
  8. plane — a tool
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bound — certain
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. row — a line
  16. bound — obliged
  17. row — to paddle
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. pit — in a race
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. bound — tied together

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