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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. shower — rain
  5. land — to come down
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. sharp — clever
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. land — a country
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. land — ground
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rush — hurry
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. fork — in a road
  23. shower — to wash
  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