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 120 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: squash · wake · spell · cell · coach · season · rock · cold

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. season — in sport
  5. rock — music
  6. cell — a phone
  7. spell — letters
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. rock — a stone
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. spell — a short time
  12. season — of the year
  13. cell — in biology
  14. wake — a trail
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. spell — magic
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. squash — to crush
  23. squash — the sport
  24. cold — an illness

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