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 · rock · bear · snap · bat · bank · straw · pitch

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. snap — to click
  5. bank — for money
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pitch — completely
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bank — of a river
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rock — a stone
  16. bank — for money
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. bat — the animal
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — the animal
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — for baseball

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