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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. spell — magic
  4. track — a song
  5. craft — a skill
  6. date — the fruit
  7. swing — to play on
  8. clip — for paper
  9. track — to keep track
  10. craft — boats
  11. swing — in golf
  12. clip — to cut
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bat — the animal
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. swing — music
  19. clip — a video
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — letters
  24. safe — out of danger

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