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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. field — a subject
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. ball — a great time
  5. track — a song
  6. track — a path
  7. field — farmland
  8. ball — a dance
  9. mine — for digging
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. saw — the tool
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. field — for sport
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. saw — the tool
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mark — a trace

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