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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. lean — to bend
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. charge — a price
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. lean — thin
  10. charge — in control
  11. saw — the tool
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. spring — of water
  15. charge — electricity
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — the season
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bark — to shout
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — 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