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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. kid — to tease
  3. present — the time now
  4. cell — a phone
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. present — there
  9. wake — a trail
  10. present — a gift
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — hurry
  15. cell — in biology
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — low music
  18. rash — a series
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. kid — child
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. rash — hasty
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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