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: ground · leaves · mine · coach · wind · chair · nail · row

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. wind — moving air
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. ground — a position
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. wind — moving air
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. chair — a leader
  20. ground — the earth
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a line
  24. ground — crushed

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