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: trunk · field · cell · fork · chip · charge · coach · race

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. fork — in a road
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. charge — electricity
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — for sport
  8. cell — in biology
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. field — farmland
  12. race — the arms race
  13. chip — to eat
  14. chip — for betting
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. race — a contest
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. cell — a phone
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. charge — in control
  23. race — humankind
  24. charge — a price

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