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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. field — a subject
  3. track — a path
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. field — for sport
  8. rash — hasty
  9. clip — to cut
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. swing — music
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. track — to keep track
  14. clip — a video
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. swing — to play on
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. mark — a grade
  20. swing — in golf
  21. field — farmland
  22. deal — to handle
  23. mark — a trace
  24. clip — for paper

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