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: mate · wake · snap · track · season · swing · coach · field

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. mate — a friend
  3. track — a path
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. mate — to breed
  6. track — a song
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. track — to keep track
  11. swing — in golf
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — farmland
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. swing — music
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. swing — to play on
  18. field — for sport
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. mate — a partner
  21. wake — a trail
  22. season — of the year
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. snap — to click

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