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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. roll — a cake
  3. chest — of your body
  4. roll — a list
  5. chest — of your body
  6. track — to keep track
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. club — a group
  9. pound — a weight
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. face — to confront
  13. field — a subject
  14. club — for dancing
  15. club — for golf
  16. face — to point toward
  17. field — farmland
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. field — for sport
  20. track — a song
  21. chest — a box
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. face — part of the head

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