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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. saw — the tool
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. ball — a dance
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. file — a document
  11. court — of law
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. saw — the tool
  15. court — for sport
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. can — to be able to
  18. file — a tool
  19. court — of a king
  20. file — a line of people
  21. ball — a great time
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  24. coach — a trainer

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