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: coach · rest · shower · ruler · game · bat · row · court

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. rest — what's left
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. game — a match
  5. rest — a break
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. shower — rain
  12. game — wild animals
  13. shower — to wash
  14. rest — what's left
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. court — of a king
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. court — of law
  22. court — for sport
  23. row — to paddle
  24. row — a line

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