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: plane · row · trunk · arm · game · clip · bowl · pit

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — wild animals
  3. clip — to cut
  4. plane — a tool
  5. clip — a video
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pit — a hole
  10. row — to paddle
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. row — a line
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. clip — for paper
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. bowl — to roll

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