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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. track — to keep track
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. track — a path
  5. clip — a video
  6. bulb — for light
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — for paper
  10. ball — a dance
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. ball — a great time
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. field — for sport
  16. foot — a measure
  17. kid — to tease
  18. roll — a list
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — a subject
  21. roll — a cake
  22. kid — child
  23. track — a song
  24. bulb — for light

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