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: suit · track · wind · foot · content · land · bass · date

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. foot — a measure
  4. bass — the fish
  5. wind — moving air
  6. land — to come down
  7. suit — clothes
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. content — happy
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bass — low music
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. suit — in cards
  14. suit — to fit
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — the fruit
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. track — a path
  19. land — a country
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. track — a song
  23. content — the amount
  24. wind — moving air

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