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: bulb · degree · clip · last · trunk · wound · roll · safe

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. clip — a video
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. wound — an injury
  8. last — finally
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. wound — an injury
  11. degree — temperature
  12. roll — a cake
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. degree — an amount
  15. bulb — for light
  16. last — final
  17. clip — for paper
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. degree — from a university
  22. clip — to cut
  23. bulb — for light
  24. last — to go on

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