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: rock · vault · spell · cold · bass · wake · plane · coach

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bass — low music
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. spell — letters
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. rock — a stone
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. spell — a short time
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. vault — a safe
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. bass — the fish
  15. plane — a tool
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. rock — music
  18. cold — not warm
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wake — a trail
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. spell — magic
  24. rock — to move gently

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