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 · file · arm · mine · pound · chest · rest · net

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. net — for catching
  4. file — a document
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. track — a path
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a line of people
  10. rest — a break
  11. rest — what's left
  12. pound — a weight
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. net — after costs
  15. chest — of your body
  16. rest — what's left
  17. track — to keep track
  18. chest — a box
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. mine — for digging
  21. chest — of your body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. track — a song

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