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 · file · fall · hide · chest · shower · rock · drill

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. rock — music
  3. fall — to drop
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. shower — rain
  6. fall — the season
  7. chest — of your body
  8. drill — the tool
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — a practice
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. chest — of your body
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. shower — to wash
  16. file — a tool
  17. chest — a box
  18. file — a line of people
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. fall — to drop
  24. rock — a stone

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