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: coach · bowl · season · ball · cold · rock · rush · patient

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. rock — a stone
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. ball — a dance
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. season — of the year
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. rock — music
  13. cold — an illness
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — hurry
  19. cold — not warm
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. season — in sport
  24. season — to add flavour

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