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: trunk · staff · wound · season · bay · file · hide · fine

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. staff — employees
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. season — in sport
  5. file — a line of people
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. staff — a stick
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. staff — employees
  13. fine — high quality
  14. season — of the year
  15. wound — an injury
  16. fine — all right
  17. file — a tool
  18. wound — an injury
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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