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: row · mate · race · cell · lean · coach · jam · hand

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  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. mate — a partner
  2. cell — a phone
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. lean — to bend
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. row — a line
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — in cards
  10. cell — in biology
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. race — a contest
  15. mate — to breed
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. mate — a friend
  18. race — humankind
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. lean — thin
  21. row — to paddle
  22. race — the arms race
  23. jam — in traffic
  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