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 · bass · row · squash · rule · rush · racket · coach

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. rule — government
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. rule — a law
  5. bass — low music
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — to crush
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rush — hurry
  13. bass — the fish
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. row — to paddle
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. row — a line
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. wound — an injury

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