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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mark — a grade
  4. clip — a video
  5. track — a path
  6. game — a match
  7. field — a subject
  8. bass — low music
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — for paper
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. craft — a skill
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — farmland
  17. bass — the fish
  18. rush — hurry
  19. game — wild animals
  20. craft — boats
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. track — to keep track
  24. game — a kind of play

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