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 120 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bat — the animal
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. row — a line
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. swing — music
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. suit — in cards
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. plane — a tool
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. swing — in golf
  18. suit — clothes
  19. suit — to fit
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — to paddle
  24. rush — to hurry

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