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: racket · bat · rest · mouse · game · trunk · net · press

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. net — after costs
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. game — a match
  5. rest — a break
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. press — to push
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. net — for catching
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — wild animals
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. press — a publisher
  21. net — in sport
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. bat — the animal
  24. press — newspapers

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