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: band · field · mate · track · kick · firm · rash · clip

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. field — farmland
  3. track — a song
  4. band — a ring
  5. rash — a series
  6. mate — a partner
  7. field — a subject
  8. rash — hasty
  9. clip — for paper
  10. band — a music group
  11. mate — to breed
  12. kick — in football
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. clip — a video
  15. track — to keep track
  16. firm — decided
  17. mate — a friend
  18. clip — to cut
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. firm — steady
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. field — for sport
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. track — a path

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