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: track · straw · land · fall · saw · bound · row · mine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. land — to come down
  3. saw — the tool
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. row — a line
  6. fall — to drop
  7. track — a path
  8. row — to paddle
  9. bound — certain
  10. fall — the season
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bound — obliged
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. track — to keep track
  15. fall — to drop
  16. track — a song
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. land — a country
  19. saw — the tool
  20. land — ground
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bound — tied together
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. mine — for digging

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