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: date · track · degree · coach · leaves · mark · spell · branch

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. spell — magic
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. degree — an amount
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. mark — a trace
  8. date — the fruit
  9. mark — a grade
  10. track — a path
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. spell — letters
  14. track — a song
  15. degree — from a university
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. spell — a short time
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. branch — a division
  22. degree — temperature
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. date — on the calendar

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