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: land · mark · game · track · sharp · stem · temple · roll

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. track — a path
  6. land — ground
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. land — to come down
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. mark — a grade
  12. game — wild animals
  13. track — to keep track
  14. stem — to come from
  15. mark — a trace
  16. roll — a list
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. game — a match
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — clever
  22. land — a country
  23. track — a song
  24. temple — a place of worship

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