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

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a song
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bass — low music
  5. rest — a break
  6. fine — high quality
  7. rest — what's left
  8. kid — to tease
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a friend
  11. chest — a box
  12. rash — a series
  13. mate — a partner
  14. kid — child
  15. rest — what's left
  16. chest — of your body
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. track — a path
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. bass — the fish
  22. rash — hasty
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bass — the instrument

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