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: saw · swing · pop · cap · coach · row · rest · shower

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. cap — a hat
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. row — a line
  6. pop — to visit
  7. saw — the tool
  8. row — to paddle
  9. shower — rain
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pop — soda
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. swing — to play on
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — to wash
  17. rest — what's left
  18. cap — a lid
  19. swing — in golf
  20. rest — a break
  21. cap — of ice
  22. rest — what's left
  23. swing — music
  24. saw — the tool

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