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: track · fan · stem · bat · kid · deal · scale · hide

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. kid — to tease
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. scale — in music
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. stem — to come from
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. track — a path
  11. scale — size or range
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — the animal
  16. kid — child
  17. deal — to handle
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. track — to keep track
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. hide — to keep secret

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