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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bass — the fish
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — to recline
  7. field — a subject
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bass — low music
  11. cold — an illness
  12. pass — a permit
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. cold — not warm
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. wound — an injury
  19. field — for sport
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. field — farmland

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