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 120 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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. squash — to crush
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. march — music
  8. dip — to sink
  9. land — ground
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. squash — the sport
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. track — a song
  15. land — to come down
  16. foot — a measure
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. track — to keep track
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. march — the month
  22. land — a country
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. march — the month

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