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 · bark · season · field · trunk · mouse · game · date

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. game — a match
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — a subject
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. lie — to recline
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. date — the fruit
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — in sport
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. game — wild animals
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bark — to shout
  21. field — for sport
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. trunk — of a car
  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