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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. sharp — clever
  3. track — a path
  4. ground — the earth
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — of water
  8. pass — a permit
  9. chip — for betting
  10. capital — money
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. spring — the season
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. chip — to eat
  18. ground — a position
  19. capital — a city
  20. track — a song
  21. ground — crushed
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — to come from

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