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: land · track · suit · clip · stock · race · bass · bore

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  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. bore — to tire
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a song
  4. clip — a video
  5. land — ground
  6. land — a country
  7. clip — for paper
  8. suit — in cards
  9. bass — low music
  10. stock — goods
  11. suit — clothes
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. race — the arms race
  14. stock — shares
  15. bass — the fish
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bore — to drill
  18. race — a contest
  19. land — to come down
  20. track — a path
  21. race — humankind
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. suit — to fit
  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