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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — to keep track
  3. prune — to trim
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. staff — employees
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. fork — in a road
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. spring — of water
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pass — a permit
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. spring — a coil
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. spring — the season
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. track — a song

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