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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — a series
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. last — finally
  9. wind — moving air
  10. march — the month
  11. last — to go on
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. last — final
  14. rule — a law
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. rule — government
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. wind — moving air

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