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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. track — a path
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. key — for a lock
  5. track — to keep track
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. key — in music
  8. cue — a hint
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. key — the most important part
  11. season — in sport
  12. track — a song
  13. wake — a trail
  14. season — of the year
  15. clip — a video
  16. ball — a dance
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. cue — for pool
  19. cue — a signal
  20. ball — a great time
  21. clip — for paper
  22. content — the amount
  23. content — happy
  24. clip — to cut

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