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: bat · suit · straw · game · wake · land · lie · trunk

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. suit — in cards
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. suit — to fit
  5. land — a country
  6. game — a match
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. suit — clothes
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. game — wild animals
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. bat — the animal
  18. lie — to recline
  19. land — ground
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. wake — a trail

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