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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. chip — for betting
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. chip — to eat
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. chest — a box
  9. chest — of your body
  10. field — farmland
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — to crush
  13. wound — an injury
  14. field — a subject
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. squash — the sport
  18. track — to keep track
  19. wound — an injury
  20. track — a path
  21. chest — of your body
  22. field — for sport
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. chip — in a computer

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