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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. track — a path
  3. field — farmland
  4. land — a country
  5. field — a subject
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. track — to keep track
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. land — to come down
  12. field — for sport
  13. branch — a division
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. plane — a tool
  18. land — ground
  19. content — the amount
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. wake — a trail
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. content — happy
  24. track — a song

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