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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wound — an injury
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wound — an injury
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cold — not warm
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. ball — a dance
  14. net — in sport
  15. ball — a great time
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bank — for money
  18. net — after costs
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bore — to drill
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. bore — to tire
  23. net — for catching
  24. bank — for money

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