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: date · track · game · pass · wound · can · swing · fine

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. wound — an injury
  3. fine — high quality
  4. track — to keep track
  5. date — the fruit
  6. can — a tin
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. track — a path
  10. wound — an injury
  11. track — a song
  12. game — wild animals
  13. swing — to play on
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. can — a tin
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. swing — in golf
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. game — a match
  22. can — to be able to
  23. swing — music
  24. pass — a permit

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