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: shower · squash · drill · bay · coach · wake

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. shower — rain
  7. drill — army training
  8. wake — a trail
  9. squash — to crush
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. drill — the tool
  14. shower — to wash
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. squash — the sport
  18. drill — a practice

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