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 116 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. hand — help
  3. track — a song
  4. field — a subject
  5. saw — the tool
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — for sport
  8. track — a path
  9. chip — to eat
  10. pop — music
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. sharp — clever
  14. hand — in cards
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. pop — soda
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chip — for betting
  22. track — to keep track
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. pop — to visit

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