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 · bat · foot · press · cold · perch · key · row

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. row — to paddle
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. press — to push
  6. key — the most important part
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. perch — the fish
  9. foot — a measure
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. row — a line
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. press — a publisher
  18. key — in music
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — the animal
  21. press — newspapers
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — an illness

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