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 120 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: pound · content · bat · band · bore · race · coach · track

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. bat — the animal
  4. track — a path
  5. race — the arms race
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. band — a music group
  9. bore — to drill
  10. content — the amount
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. track — a song
  14. track — to keep track
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. bore — to tire
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. content — happy
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. race — a contest
  22. pound — a weight
  23. race — humankind
  24. bat — for baseball

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