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

Word bank: bat · root · trunk · arm · ground · track · mark · hide

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. mark — a grade
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. ground — a position
  6. mark — a trace
  7. root — of a word
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. track — a song
  10. ground — the earth
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. root — of a plant
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. bat — the animal
  18. root — the cause
  19. track — to keep track
  20. ground — crushed
  21. track — a path
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — to keep secret

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