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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. key — in music
  3. key — the most important part
  4. track — a path
  5. track — a song
  6. march — music
  7. capital — a city
  8. field — a subject
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — humankind
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. track — to keep track
  13. capital — money
  14. march — the month
  15. tube — the underground
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. field — for sport
  18. field — farmland
  19. key — for a lock
  20. pop — soda
  21. pop — music
  22. tube — a container
  23. pop — to visit
  24. race — a contest

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