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: roll · present · date · clip · kick · season · field · track

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. track — a song
  4. field — a subject
  5. present — a gift
  6. date — the fruit
  7. roll — a list
  8. track — to keep track
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. kick — in football
  12. season — in sport
  13. present — there
  14. season — of the year
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. clip — a video
  17. field — farmland
  18. clip — to cut
  19. present — the time now
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. clip — for paper
  22. field — for sport
  23. track — a path
  24. roll — a cake

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