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: tube · coach · roll · cabinet · rash · squash · cold · stick

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. squash — to crush
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. squash — the sport
  6. cold — not warm
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. rash — a series
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. roll — a cake
  12. roll — a list
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cold — an illness
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. tube — a container
  18. rash — hasty
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. tube — the underground
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. squash — the vegetable

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