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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. track — a song
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — for digging
  5. track — a path
  6. field — a subject
  7. cue — a hint
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cue — a signal
  11. race — humankind
  12. field — farmland
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. field — for sport
  15. cue — for pool
  16. spell — magic
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. track — to keep track
  19. cap — of ice
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — letters
  22. cap — a hat
  23. race — the arms race
  24. race — a contest

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