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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. track — to keep track
  4. mark — a trace
  5. field — a subject
  6. pass — a permit
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. mark — a grade
  9. chest — a box
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. wind — moving air
  14. track — a song
  15. file — a document
  16. chest — of your body
  17. track — a path
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — farmland
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. file — a tool

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