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 116 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: root · swing · coach · lie · clip · content

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. swing — in golf
  5. content — the amount
  6. lie — to recline
  7. clip — for paper
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. root — of a plant
  10. clip — a video
  11. root — of a word
  12. clip — to cut
  13. swing — to play on
  14. content — happy
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. swing — music
  18. root — the cause

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