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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. track — a song
  3. file — a document
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. march — music
  6. clip — a video
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. dip — to sink
  10. track — a path
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. march — the month
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. track — to keep track
  15. game — wild animals
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. file — a line of people
  18. game — a match
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — to cut
  23. march — the month
  24. file — a tool

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