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: degree · fan · plane · jam · coach · cold · spell · calf

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. spell — magic
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. plane — a tool
  9. spell — a short time
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — from a university
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. degree — an amount
  19. cold — an illness
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. spell — letters
  22. cold — not warm
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — of the leg

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