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: leaves · bowl · chip · sharp · wake · scale · track · field

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. track — to keep track
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. scale — in music
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. field — for sport
  9. scale — size or range
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. track — a song
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. field — farmland
  16. sharp — clever
  17. field — a subject
  18. wake — a trail
  19. chip — to eat
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. track — a path
  22. chip — for betting
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. sharp — exactly

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