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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — to keep track
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. stem — to come from
  6. suit — in cards
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. suit — to fit
  10. clip — for paper
  11. cold — an illness
  12. track — a song
  13. sharp — clever
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — in music
  17. clip — a video
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. cold — not warm
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. clip — to cut
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. suit — clothes

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