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 116 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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. last — finally
  3. mate — a partner
  4. last — to go on
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. track — a song
  7. row — to paddle
  8. track — to keep track
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. firm — steady
  12. stock — shares
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. chair — a leader
  15. firm — a company
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. firm — decided
  18. last — final
  19. bark — to shout
  20. stock — goods
  21. mate — a friend
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. row — a line
  24. mate — to breed

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