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: cell · rock · lean · chair · content · wind · coach · spell

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. content — happy
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. rock — music
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. chair — a leader
  9. rock — a stone
  10. content — the amount
  11. wind — moving air
  12. cell — a phone
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. cell — in biology
  17. lean — thin
  18. lean — to bend
  19. spell — letters
  20. wind — moving air
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. spell — a short time
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. cell — in a prison

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