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

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. cold — not warm
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. club — a group
  7. bore — to tire
  8. stand — to bear
  9. bore — to drill
  10. dip — to sink
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. club — for dancing
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. cold — an illness
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. plane — a tool
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. stand — for spectators

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