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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bark — to shout
  3. track — to keep track
  4. club — for dancing
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. track — a path
  7. club — a group
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — for sport
  10. band — a music group
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. club — for golf
  13. field — a subject
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bore — to drill
  18. band — a ring
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. snap — to click
  23. track — a song
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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