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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. chest — of your body
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. rest — what's left
  7. fall — to drop
  8. chest — of your body
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. band — a music group
  11. fall — the season
  12. fall — to drop
  13. band — a ring
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. plane — a tool
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. rest — what's left
  19. chest — a box
  20. rest — a break
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. toast — bread

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