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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. track — a song
  3. bear — the animal
  4. drill — the tool
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. track — a path
  10. scale — in music
  11. drill — a practice
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. bear — the animal
  14. drill — army training
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. track — to keep track
  18. field — a subject
  19. row — a line
  20. field — for sport
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. tube — a container
  24. field — farmland

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