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: last · cabinet · content · rash · trunk · mine · mouse · march

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — final
  6. content — the amount
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. march — the month
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. mine — for digging
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. rash — a series
  13. march — music
  14. rash — hasty
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. last — finally
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. content — happy
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. march — the month
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. cabinet — ministers

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