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: firm · jam · tube · track · current · drill · capital · game

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — a song
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. game — a match
  5. firm — a company
  6. current — happening now
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. capital — a city
  9. drill — a practice
  10. capital — money
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. track — to keep track
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. current — electric
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. firm — steady
  18. current — of water
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — a container
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — army training
  23. game — wild animals
  24. firm — decided

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