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: bay · coach · fine · roll · bat · straw · wake · bound

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. roll — a cake
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. wake — a trail
  8. bound — obliged
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. bound — certain
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bat — the animal
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. roll — a list
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. fine — high quality
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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