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: game · ground · pop · fork · trunk · arm · current · march

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. game — wild animals
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. game — a match
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. ground — the earth
  7. pop — soda
  8. current — electric
  9. fork — in a road
  10. march — music
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — crushed
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. pop — to visit
  16. current — of water
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. pop — music
  23. current — happening now
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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