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 120 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: pitcher · land · bat · key · wound · firm · trunk · hand

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. key — for a lock
  3. hand — help
  4. land — ground
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. firm — a company
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. hand — in cards
  11. bat — the animal
  12. wound — an injury
  13. key — in music
  14. firm — steady
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. land — to come down
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. land — a country
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. firm — decided
  23. key — the most important part
  24. pitcher — a jug

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