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: lie · field · cue · fork · trunk · straw · cell · march

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. march — the month
  3. fork — in a road
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. field — a subject
  6. cell — in biology
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. cue — for pool
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. cell — a phone
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. cue — a hint
  17. field — for sport
  18. march — music
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. cue — a signal
  23. field — farmland
  24. march — the month

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