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

Word bank: trunk · cue · squash · club · prune · mouse · cold · cell

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. club — a group
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. squash — the sport
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. cold — not warm
  8. club — for golf
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — to trim
  11. cue — for pool
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cue — a hint
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. cell — in biology
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. cue — a signal
  22. squash — to crush
  23. club — for dancing
  24. squash — the vegetable

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