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 · hide · cabinet · degree · bear · bass · rash · rule

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bass — the fish
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bass — low music
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bear — the animal
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. rule — government
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. rash — hasty
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. rule — a law
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. bear — the animal
  22. degree — temperature
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. rash — a series

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