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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. game — wild animals
  6. rash — a series
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. game — a match
  11. last — to go on
  12. rash — hasty
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. last — finally
  17. file — a tool
  18. file — a document
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. file — a line of people
  21. rush — hurry
  22. last — final
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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