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: pitch · straw · coach · fan · shower · clip · root · dip

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. clip — to cut
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. shower — to wash
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. dip — to sink
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. root — of a plant
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. pitch — completely
  18. root — of a word
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. root — the cause
  21. clip — for paper
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. shower — rain
  24. clip — a video

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