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: cue · mug · coach · kick · cold · branch · cell · row

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. row — to paddle
  5. cold — not warm
  6. mug — a cup
  7. cue — for pool
  8. kick — in football
  9. branch — a division
  10. cell — in biology
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. mug — to rob
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cell — a phone
  18. row — a line
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. cue — a signal
  21. cue — a hint
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. mug — a face
  24. cold — the Cold War

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