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: staff · mug · trunk · perch · pit · cell · bat · wake

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. staff — employees
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. pit — a hole
  7. cell — a phone
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — the fish
  10. mug — a face
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. staff — employees
  14. mug — a cup
  15. pit — in a race
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. bat — the animal
  18. staff — a stick
  19. cell — in biology
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. mug — to rob
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. trunk — of a car

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