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: tube · snap · spring · track · field · ball · pitcher · coach

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — the season
  4. field — a subject
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. tube — a container
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. track — a song
  9. track — a path
  10. ball — a great time
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. field — for sport
  13. spring — of water
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. track — to keep track
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. field — farmland
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. snap — to click
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. tube — the underground

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