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: squash · wind · bat · root · coach · bear · fork · kid

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bat — the animal
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. kid — child
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. fork — in a road
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. root — the cause
  12. bear — the animal
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. squash — the sport
  17. root — of a plant
  18. squash — to crush
  19. root — of a word
  20. kid — to tease
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. wind — moving air

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