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: court · toast · scale · stand · coach · craft · cold · spell

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. craft — boats
  3. spell — letters
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. spell — magic
  6. scale — in music
  7. toast — bread
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. cold — an illness
  11. spell — a short time
  12. craft — a skill
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. court — of a king
  19. scale — size or range
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. stand — to bear
  22. court — of law
  23. court — for sport
  24. toast — the most admired

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