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: race · swing · chest · pitcher · club · coach · sharp · cabinet

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. sharp — clever
  4. swing — to play on
  5. swing — in golf
  6. chest — of your body
  7. swing — music
  8. club — for golf
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. chest — a box
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. race — the arms race
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — a group
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. race — a contest
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. race — humankind
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. chest — of your body

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