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: cue · jam · trunk · kid · pop · season · march · mate

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  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 — in sport
  2. cue — a hint
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. pop — soda
  5. mate — a partner
  6. cue — a signal
  7. mate — to breed
  8. kid — child
  9. march — music
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. pop — music
  13. pop — to visit
  14. season — of the year
  15. cue — for pool
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. march — the month
  19. kid — to tease
  20. march — the month
  21. mate — a friend
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  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