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: rest · track · foot · mine · season · tube · file · band

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. file — a tool
  3. file — a line of people
  4. tube — the underground
  5. mine — for digging
  6. rest — a break
  7. band — a music group
  8. foot — a measure
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. rest — what's left
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. season — of the year
  17. rest — what's left
  18. file — a document
  19. band — a ring
  20. season — in sport
  21. tube — a container
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. track — a song
  24. track — a path

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