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: band · bark · roll · stock · hide · coach · rash · bat

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bat — the animal
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. rash — hasty
  6. roll — a list
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. stock — shares
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bark — to shout
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. band — a music group
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. roll — a cake
  21. rash — a series
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. stock — goods

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