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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — a song
  3. drill — a practice
  4. rest — a break
  5. fine — all right
  6. drill — army training
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. track — to keep track
  9. rest — what's left
  10. swing — music
  11. swing — to play on
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. swing — in golf
  14. file — a document
  15. rest — what's left
  16. tube — a container
  17. drill — the tool
  18. wind — moving air
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a tool
  21. wind — moving air
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. tube — the underground
  24. fine — high quality

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