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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. bark — to shout
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kid — child
  11. court — for sport
  12. current — of water
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. current — electric
  15. court — of law
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. current — happening now
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. cell — in biology
  22. court — of a king
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. cell — a phone

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