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: hand · mine · bark · roll · pit · trunk · coach · current

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. current — electric
  4. roll — a list
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. current — of water
  9. current — happening now
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bark — to shout
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. hand — help
  15. pit — in a race
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. hand — in cards
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. bark — 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