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: cold · roll · last · chair · hide · kick · coach · content

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. content — happy
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — finally
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. content — the amount
  8. cold — not warm
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. roll — a list
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. cold — an illness
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. chair — a leader
  17. roll — a cake
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. kick — in football
  23. last — final
  24. hide — to keep secret

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