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: drill · file · stem · squash · mine · mark · track · cue

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. track — a path
  3. squash — the sport
  4. stem — to come from
  5. mine — for digging
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. cue — a hint
  8. drill — army training
  9. drill — a practice
  10. cue — for pool
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. track — to keep track
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. cue — a signal
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mark — a trace
  17. squash — to crush
  18. track — a song
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. file — a line of people
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. file — a document
  23. file — a tool
  24. drill — the tool

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