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 120 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: last · cold · track · pitcher · stem · stick · bat · pit

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. last — to go on
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. pit — a hole
  8. last — finally
  9. pit — in a race
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. bat — the animal
  12. track — a song
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — to come from
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. track — a path
  23. cold — an illness
  24. last — final

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