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 120 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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. track — to keep track
  3. pound — a weight
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. land — a country
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. capital — a city
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. land — to come down
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. land — ground
  19. mine — for digging
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. track — a path
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. plane — a tool

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