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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. degree — an amount
  5. season — of the year
  6. degree — from a university
  7. rush — hurry
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. wax — to grow
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — in sport
  14. degree — temperature
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. cold — not warm

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