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: file · row · coach · court · band · stick · kid · shower

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. kid — to tease
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. row — to paddle
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. file — a tool
  9. court — for sport
  10. row — a line
  11. file — a line of people
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. shower — rain
  16. band — a ring
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. court — of law
  19. court — of a king
  20. shower — to wash
  21. kid — child
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. file — a document

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