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: safe · track · clip · bat · roll · current · date · board

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. current — of water
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. board — a committee
  5. track — a song
  6. clip — to cut
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. track — a path
  11. clip — for paper
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. roll — a list
  15. roll — a cake
  16. current — happening now
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. current — electric
  19. clip — a video
  20. bat — the animal
  21. date — the fruit
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. board — to get on

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