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: clip · fork · race · roll · last · coach · foot · track

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. foot — a measure
  3. roll — a cake
  4. clip — a video
  5. last — to go on
  6. race — the arms race
  7. track — to keep track
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. race — a contest
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. roll — a list
  12. clip — to cut
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. race — humankind
  15. last — final
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. clip — for paper
  21. track — a path
  22. fork — in a road
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. track — a song

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