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: mark · coach · fall · toast · mug · cold · perch · spell

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — the fish
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mug — a face
  6. mug — a cup
  7. toast — bread
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. cold — not warm
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. mug — to rob
  12. spell — letters
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. fall — the season
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — a short time
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. mark — a trace

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