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: chest · can · date · patient · bark · mark · track · staff

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. staff — a stick
  3. chest — of your body
  4. track — a path
  5. track — a song
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. date — the fruit
  8. mark — a trace
  9. chest — a box
  10. chest — of your body
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bark — to shout
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. can — a tin
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. staff — employees
  19. can — to be able to
  20. can — a tin
  21. staff — employees
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. patient — a sick person

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