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: court · bowl · bat · race · board · root · fall · trunk

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. court — for sport
  4. board — to get on
  5. fall — to drop
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. court — of law
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. court — of a king
  13. bat — the animal
  14. root — of a plant
  15. race — the arms race
  16. race — a contest
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. race — humankind
  19. board — a committee
  20. fall — the season
  21. root — the cause
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bowl — a football final

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