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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. track — a path
  3. last — to go on
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. fall — the season
  6. last — finally
  7. track — to keep track
  8. last — final
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fall — to drop
  12. row — a line
  13. firm — steady
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. fall — to drop
  17. firm — a company
  18. track — a song
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. firm — decided
  21. ball — a dance
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. row — to paddle
  24. bowl — a dish

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