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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. present — the time now
  3. season — in sport
  4. net — in sport
  5. march — music
  6. cell — a phone
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. march — the month
  9. track — a song
  10. present — a gift
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. track — a path
  14. season — of the year
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. present — there
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. march — the month
  20. net — for catching
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. net — after costs
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cell — in biology

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