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: field · degree · bowl · row · wake · object · track · current

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. wake — a trail
  3. track — a song
  4. object — to protest
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. track — to keep track
  8. field — farmland
  9. degree — from a university
  10. degree — temperature
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. degree — an amount
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. field — a subject
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. row — to paddle
  18. object — a thing
  19. current — of water
  20. row — a line
  21. current — electric
  22. track — a path
  23. object — an aim
  24. current — happening now

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