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 120 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: file · race · kid · net · ground · ball · deal · track

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. ball — a dance
  3. track — to keep track
  4. file — a document
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. race — a contest
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ground — crushed
  9. net — in sport
  10. ground — a position
  11. kid — to tease
  12. net — for catching
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — child
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ball — a great time
  18. file — a tool
  19. race — the arms race
  20. track — a path
  21. race — humankind
  22. net — after costs
  23. track — a song
  24. file — a line of people

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