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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. game — a match
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. tear — from crying
  11. scale — size or range
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. scale — in music
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. tear — from crying
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. rush — hurry
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. tear — to rip
  24. straw — dry grass

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