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 · firm · sharp · bat · rock · band · roll · bear

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. firm — decided
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bear — the animal
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. roll — a cake
  8. firm — a company
  9. rock — music
  10. firm — steady
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. band — a music group
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. rock — a stone
  16. roll — a list
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. band — a ring
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bear — the animal

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