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 · court · deal · craft · net · chair · track · file

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. net — after costs
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. track — a path
  6. land — to come down
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. file — a tool
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — for catching
  11. court — of a king
  12. file — a document
  13. chair — a leader
  14. land — ground
  15. court — of law
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. craft — boats
  18. court — for sport
  19. track — to keep track
  20. track — a song
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. land — a country
  23. deal — to handle
  24. craft — a skill

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