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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. track — to keep track
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. row — a line
  6. prune — to trim
  7. stem — to come from
  8. bound — certain
  9. field — a subject
  10. pass — a permit
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. field — for sport
  13. bound — obliged
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in biology
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. field — farmland
  19. track — a song
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. bound — tied together
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. track — a path

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