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: spell · leaves · track · coach · land · file · court · object

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. spell — letters
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. file — a tool
  5. file — a document
  6. land — a country
  7. court — of law
  8. object — a thing
  9. object — an aim
  10. object — to protest
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. track — a song
  13. file — a line of people
  14. spell — magic
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. court — of a king
  18. track — a path
  19. land — to come down
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. land — ground
  23. court — for sport
  24. spell — a short time

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