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 120 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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. cell — in biology
  5. bulb — for light
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. land — ground
  8. file — a tool
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. file — a line of people
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. object — to protest
  13. bulb — for light
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. object — a thing
  16. land — to come down
  17. rush — hurry
  18. cell — a phone
  19. object — an aim
  20. file — a document
  21. land — a country
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bowl — a football final

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