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: toast · wound · pop · scale · row · plane · coach · file

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. file — a line of people
  5. scale — in music
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. pop — to visit
  9. row — a line
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pop — music
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. file — a tool
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. file — a document
  17. wound — an injury
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. plane — a tool
  21. wound — an injury
  22. scale — size or range
  23. row — to paddle
  24. pop — soda

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