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: trunk · arm · land · straw · rest · sharp · deal · plane

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. land — a country
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. deal — to handle
  12. rest — what's left
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. rest — a break
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. plane — a tool
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. land — ground
  19. sharp — clever
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. rest — what's left
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. trunk — of a car

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