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: bass · land · fall · season · current · fine · cold · track

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. track — a path
  3. cold — an illness
  4. current — happening now
  5. fall — to drop
  6. land — a country
  7. fall — the season
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. season — in sport
  10. land — to come down
  11. fall — to drop
  12. land — ground
  13. fine — high quality
  14. cold — not warm
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bass — low music
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. track — a song
  19. current — electric
  20. fine — all right
  21. current — of water
  22. season — of the year
  23. track — to keep track
  24. cold — the Cold War

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