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 116 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bass — low music
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. rash — hasty
  5. drill — a practice
  6. saw — the tool
  7. drill — army training
  8. bass — the fish
  9. rule — a law
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. court — of law
  12. court — for sport
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. mark — a trace
  15. saw — the tool
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. mark — a grade
  20. drill — the tool
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. court — of a king
  23. rash — a series
  24. rule — government

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