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: lie · coach · rock · cold · bank · track · trunk · row

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. rock — a stone
  4. track — a song
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cold — not warm
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. lie — to recline
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. track — a path
  12. row — to paddle
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. bank — for money
  17. row — a line
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. bank — for money
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bank — of a river
  24. track — to keep track

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