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: racket · clip · mine · wound · face · trunk · chest · bowl

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. face — to confront
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. clip — to cut
  10. mine — for digging
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. clip — a video
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. chest — of your body
  19. face — part of the head
  20. chest — a box
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. wound — an injury
  24. racket — for tennis

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