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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. wake — a trail
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. race — a contest
  5. track — a path
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. content — the amount
  10. race — humankind
  11. content — happy
  12. track — a song
  13. track — to keep track
  14. kick — in football
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. capital — a city
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. capital — money
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. row — to paddle
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. race — the arms race

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