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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. track — a song
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. track — to keep track
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. march — the month
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — a series
  14. roll — a cake
  15. ball — a dance
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. roll — a list
  21. march — music
  22. march — the month
  23. ball — a great time
  24. track — a path

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