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: row · date · racket · chip · kid · trunk · cell · stick

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. row — to paddle
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. date — the fruit
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cell — a phone
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. row — a line
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. kid — to tease
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. chip — to eat
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. kid — child
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. chip — for betting
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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