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: wound · trunk · straw · mate · press · net · land · bat

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. press — newspapers
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. net — for catching
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. net — in sport
  7. wound — an injury
  8. land — to come down
  9. mate — to breed
  10. net — after costs
  11. mate — a partner
  12. press — a publisher
  13. press — to push
  14. bat — the animal
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. land — ground
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. land — a country
  24. mate — a friend

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