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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. foot — a measure
  4. pop — music
  5. track — to keep track
  6. court — for sport
  7. track — a song
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. saw — the tool
  10. field — for sport
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. court — of law
  13. field — farmland
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. saw — the tool
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. court — of a king
  19. pop — soda
  20. track — a path
  21. stand — to bear
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. field — a subject
  24. foot — the bottom

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