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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. mine — for digging
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. row — to paddle
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bulb — for light
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rock — music
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. rock — a stone
  20. sharp — clever
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. row — a line

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