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: roll · cold · content · ground · spring · firm · face · coach

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. spring — of water
  3. ground — the earth
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. spring — a coil
  6. face — part of the head
  7. firm — decided
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. face — to point toward
  11. content — the amount
  12. cold — an illness
  13. roll — a cake
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. firm — a company
  16. cold — not warm
  17. content — happy
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. ground — crushed
  21. firm — steady
  22. spring — the season
  23. face — to confront
  24. roll — a list

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