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: suit · rash · field · fork · cold · trunk · drill · present

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. present — there
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. suit — in cards
  6. present — the time now
  7. drill — a practice
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. suit — to fit
  11. drill — the tool
  12. present — a gift
  13. cold — not warm
  14. field — farmland
  15. field — a subject
  16. drill — army training
  17. rash — a series
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. fork — in a road
  20. field — for sport
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. suit — clothes
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. cold — an illness

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