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 · fine · hand · bark · trunk · pit · snap · net

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. wound — an injury
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. pit — a hole
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. net — for catching
  10. hand — help
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. fine — all right
  13. wound — an injury
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bark — to shout
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — in sport
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. snap — to click
  21. hand — in cards
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. fine — high quality
  24. pit — in a race

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