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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — rain
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bank — for money
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. bank — of a river
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. content — happy
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. chest — a box
  19. content — the amount
  20. bank — for money
  21. bat — the animal
  22. pound — a weight
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. coach — a trainer

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