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 120 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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. stand — to bear
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. net — after costs
  6. squash — the sport
  7. bore — to drill
  8. net — for catching
  9. track — a song
  10. bore — to tire
  11. squash — to crush
  12. track — to keep track
  13. net — in sport
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. tube — a container
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — farmland
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. field — for sport
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. tube — the underground
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. straw — dry grass

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