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 116 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. season — of the year
  3. chair — a leader
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. season — in sport
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. pop — soda
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. field — farmland
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bat — the animal
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. pop — to visit
  15. track — to keep track
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. track — a path
  18. bore — to tire
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — for sport
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. pop — music

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