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 120 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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. track — to keep track
  4. current — happening now
  5. current — of water
  6. field — a subject
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. tube — a container
  9. pound — a weight
  10. track — a song
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — for sport
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. hand — help
  15. current — electric
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. track — a path
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. tube — the underground
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. cell — in biology

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