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 116 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: leaves · hand · track · ball · fall · scale · rash · drill

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — a song
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. scale — in music
  6. ball — a dance
  7. rash — hasty
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. track — to keep track
  10. fall — to drop
  11. drill — a practice
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. ball — a great time
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. drill — the tool
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. fall — to drop
  18. scale — size or range
  19. hand — in cards
  20. fall — the season
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. rash — a series
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. drill — army training

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