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: wound · pitcher · current · coach · bowl · row · wind · cue

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cue — a hint
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. row — a line
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. row — to paddle
  9. wound — an injury
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. cue — for pool
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. current — of water
  15. current — happening now
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. wind — moving air
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cue — a signal
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. current — electric

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