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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cap · snap · field · track · ball · hand · file · squash

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. cap — of ice
  3. file — a document
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. field — farmland
  7. squash — the sport
  8. field — for sport
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. ball — a great time
  11. hand — in cards
  12. track — a path
  13. cap — a hat
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a tool
  16. track — a song
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — help
  19. snap — to click
  20. squash — to crush
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. cap — a lid
  23. ball — a dance
  24. field — a subject

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