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 · safe · cold · field · kid · mark · last · trunk

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. last — to go on
  3. mark — a grade
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. kid — child
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. field — a subject
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. mark — a trace
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. kid — to tease
  12. cold — not warm
  13. field — farmland
  14. last — final
  15. lie — to recline
  16. field — for sport
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. last — finally
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. mark — to pay attention

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