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 · row · snap · field · ruler · present · bat · bulb

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. field — farmland
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. bulb — for light
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. field — a subject
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. row — to paddle
  12. present — a gift
  13. present — there
  14. snap — to click
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. row — a line
  17. bulb — for light
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. present — the time now
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. field — for sport
  24. bulb — of a plant

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