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: hand · bass · swing · clip · wound · tear · coach · bound

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bound — tied together
  3. tear — to rip
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. swing — to play on
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. swing — in golf
  9. clip — for paper
  10. wound — an injury
  11. swing — music
  12. tear — from crying
  13. clip — a video
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bound — certain
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. hand — in cards
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bass — low music
  21. hand — help
  22. clip — to cut
  23. wound — an injury
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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