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 · coach · chair · face · lash · bear · leaves · cue

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. cue — a hint
  4. bear — the animal
  5. face — to confront
  6. bear — the animal
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. cue — a signal
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. face — to point toward
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. cue — for pool
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cold — not warm
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. cold — an illness
  21. face — part of the head
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. bear — to put up with

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