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: straw · squash · coach · root · band · chest · tube · swing

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. chest — of your body
  5. root — of a word
  6. root — the cause
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. band — a ring
  9. squash — the sport
  10. tube — the underground
  11. chest — of your body
  12. tube — a container
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. swing — to play on
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. swing — music
  17. root — of a plant
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. chest — a box
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. squash — to crush
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a rubber band

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