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: wave · coach · rush · shower · bore · pitcher · swing · cold

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. cold — not warm
  4. swing — in golf
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. shower — to wash
  8. bore — to drill
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. cold — an illness
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. swing — to play on
  16. bore — to tire
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. shower — rain
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. rush — hurry
  24. swing — music

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