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: wind · leaves · cold · can · bay · plane · coach · hand

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. wind — moving air
  8. hand — help
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. cold — an illness
  11. plane — a tool
  12. cold — not warm
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — to be able to
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. can — a tin
  18. hand — in cards
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. wind — moving air

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