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: cabinet · fork · toast · march · cell · straw

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cell — a phone
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. toast — bread
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. march — the month
  12. cell — in biology
  13. march — the month
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. march — music
  16. fork — in a road
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. toast — the most admired

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