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: date · row · nail · swing · wind · content · lie · coach

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. content — the amount
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. swing — music
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. content — happy
  13. date — the fruit
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. lie — to recline
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. wind — moving air
  19. row — to paddle
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. wind — moving air
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — to play on

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