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: present · cell · pound · field · branch · track · chip · object

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. branch — a division
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. track — a path
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. chip — for betting
  7. track — to keep track
  8. present — a gift
  9. cell — a phone
  10. chip — to eat
  11. object — to protest
  12. field — for sport
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. object — an aim
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. field — a subject
  18. object — a thing
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. field — farmland
  21. pound — a weight
  22. cell — in biology
  23. present — the time now
  24. track — a song

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