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

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. chair — a leader
  3. pit — in a race
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bass — low music
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. spell — a short time
  11. field — a subject
  12. field — farmland
  13. spell — magic
  14. pit — a hole
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. sharp — clever
  18. spell — letters
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. field — for sport
  24. trunk — of a tree

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