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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. track — a path
  4. march — the month
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. stand — to bear
  9. track — to keep track
  10. cell — in biology
  11. mark — a grade
  12. mark — a trace
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — a phone

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