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: arm · row · net · swing · land · season · track · bound

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. season — in sport
  3. net — for catching
  4. track — a song
  5. bound — certain
  6. land — a country
  7. season — of the year
  8. row — to paddle
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bound — obliged
  11. land — to come down
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — after costs
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bound — tied together
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. swing — in golf
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. swing — music
  22. track — to keep track
  23. row — a line
  24. land — ground

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