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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. wax — to grow
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. bat — the animal
  12. pit — a hole
  13. mine — for digging
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. pit — in a race
  20. rock — music
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. dip — to sink
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. rock — a stone

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