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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a song
  3. bank — of a river
  4. cold — an illness
  5. key — in music
  6. track — a path
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. key — the most important part
  9. cold — not warm
  10. bank — for money
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. key — for a lock
  13. court — for sport
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. court — of a king
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — shares
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. court — of law
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bank — for money

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