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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. lean — to bend
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. bound — certain
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bound — obliged
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. board — a committee
  11. bat — the animal
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. bear — the animal
  23. lean — thin
  24. stem — to come from

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