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 120 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 · degree · rush · pass · land · bark · ball · straw

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. land — ground
  3. ball — a dance
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. land — a country
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. degree — from a university
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. ball — a great time
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. degree — an amount
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. bark — to shout
  20. land — to come down
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. pass — a permit
  23. degree — temperature
  24. ball — a round shape

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