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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bear — the animal
  3. field — a subject
  4. wake — a trail
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mark — a trace
  7. track — to keep track
  8. land — a country
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. field — for sport
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of law
  14. track — a song
  15. land — ground
  16. field — farmland
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. court — of a king
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. track — a path
  22. bear — the animal
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. wake — before a funeral

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