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: scale · cold · clip · bark · coach · wave · chair · racket

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. cold — an illness
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. cold — not warm
  8. chair — a leader
  9. clip — to cut
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. scale — in music
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. scale — size or range
  16. clip — for paper
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. clip — a video
  22. bark — to shout
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. coach — a trainer

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