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 116 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. track — a song
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. mate — a friend
  6. field — farmland
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. track — a path
  9. bat — the animal
  10. mark — a grade
  11. hand — help
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. field — for sport
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mark — a trace
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. field — a subject
  22. hand — in cards
  23. track — to keep track
  24. mate — to breed

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