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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. pass — a permit
  4. cold — an illness
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. band — a ring
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. pitch — completely
  12. prune — to trim
  13. tube — a container
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. tube — the underground
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cold — not warm
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. coach — a trainer

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