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 120 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: deal · last · spell · track · staff · rash · mark · mate

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. rash — hasty
  3. mate — a friend
  4. spell — letters
  5. track — a path
  6. track — to keep track
  7. last — to go on
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. mark — a trace
  11. last — final
  12. spell — magic
  13. track — a song
  14. staff — employees
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. rash — a series
  18. mate — to breed
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — a stick
  21. spell — a short time
  22. last — finally
  23. mark — a grade
  24. deal — to handle

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