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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. row — to paddle
  5. kid — child
  6. vault — a safe
  7. tear — from crying
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. scale — in music
  10. scale — size or range
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. net — in sport
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. net — after costs
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. net — for catching
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. kid — to tease
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. racket — a loud noise

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