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: trunk · arm · kid · coach · stand · straw · bat · land

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. land — to come down
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. stand — to bear
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. kid — child
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. bat — the animal
  11. land — ground
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. land — a country
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. kid — to tease
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. bat — in an idiom

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