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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: coach · bark · chair · stick · date · tear

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. tear — from crying
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. date — the fruit
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. chair — a leader
  8. tear — from crying
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. bark — to shout
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. tear — to rip
  18. date — on the calendar

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