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: content · track · spell · charge · clip · cap · field · nail

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. charge — electricity
  3. spell — magic
  4. clip — for paper
  5. track — a song
  6. field — a subject
  7. spell — a short time
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. clip — a video
  10. charge — a price
  11. charge — in control
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. field — farmland
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. spell — letters
  16. content — happy
  17. cap — a lid
  18. track — a path
  19. track — to keep track
  20. cap — a hat
  21. clip — to cut
  22. field — for sport
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — the amount

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