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: last · rush · chip · pop · cell · court · land · track

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. land — to come down
  3. court — of law
  4. track — a path
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. last — final
  7. court — of a king
  8. chip — to eat
  9. last — finally
  10. last — to go on
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. pop — soda
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. land — ground
  16. land — a country
  17. pop — to visit
  18. court — for sport
  19. cell — in biology
  20. chip — for betting
  21. rush — hurry
  22. track — to keep track
  23. track — a song
  24. cell — a phone

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