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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. last — to go on
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. field — for sport
  5. last — final
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. last — finally
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. season — of the year
  10. track — to keep track
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. field — a subject
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. deal — to handle
  17. field — farmland
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — in cards
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. season — in sport
  24. track — a path

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