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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. fine — all right
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bark — to shout
  5. row — a line
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. row — to paddle
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a ring
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. pit — a hole
  20. fine — high quality
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. fine — a penalty

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