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: root · roll · pass · track · kid · band · game · spring

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. track — a song
  4. roll — a list
  5. game — a match
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. kid — to tease
  10. band — a ring
  11. game — wild animals
  12. track — a path
  13. kid — child
  14. spring — of water
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. root — of a word
  17. root — of a plant
  18. spring — a coil
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. roll — a cake
  21. root — the cause
  22. pass — a permit
  23. band — a music group
  24. spring — the season

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