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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — the animal
  4. ground — crushed
  5. plane — a tool
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. clip — to cut
  8. clip — a video
  9. stock — shares
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — the animal
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. clip — for paper
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. ground — a position
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. track — a song
  20. track — to keep track
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. ground — the earth

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