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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — to shout
  5. track — a song
  6. land — a country
  7. cap — a lid
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. season — in sport
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. track — to keep track
  13. cap — of ice
  14. land — to come down
  15. cap — a hat
  16. track — a path
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — of the year
  21. plane — a tool
  22. wake — a trail
  23. land — ground
  24. bat — the animal

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