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: saw · clip · trunk · root · chest · bat · vault · drill

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. clip — a video
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. saw — the tool
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. root — of a word
  9. bat — the animal
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. clip — for paper
  12. vault — a safe
  13. chest — of your body
  14. root — of a plant
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. drill — army training
  17. drill — a practice
  18. clip — to cut
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. drill — the tool
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. chest — a box
  23. saw — the tool
  24. root — the cause

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