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 · saw · temple · bowl · wind · present · shower · pitch

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. present — there
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. present — the time now
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. wind — moving air
  15. saw — the tool
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. present — a gift
  18. shower — rain
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. saw — the tool
  21. pitch — completely
  22. shower — to wash
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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