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 · land · chair · suit · bore · rash · pound · pitcher

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. rash — hasty
  4. land — ground
  5. suit — clothes
  6. bore — to tire
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. land — a country
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. suit — to fit
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. suit — in cards
  17. chair — a leader
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. rash — a series
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. land — to come down
  24. pound — a weight

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