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 keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. spring — of water
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. wound — an injury
  7. last — to go on
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. toast — bread
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. track — a path
  15. last — finally
  16. fork — in a road
  17. pass — a permit
  18. spring — the season
  19. track — a song
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. wound — an injury
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. last — final
  24. spring — a coil

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