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 120 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: cell · face · pit · mine · rest · game · rash · trunk

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cell — a phone
  5. face — to confront
  6. face — to point toward
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. rash — a series
  9. pit — in a race
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. pit — a hole
  12. rest — a break
  13. game — wild animals
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. game — a match
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rest — what's left
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. face — part of the head
  21. rest — what's left
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — for digging

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