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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. clip — for paper
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. game — a match
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bear — the animal
  7. clip — to cut
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — to drop
  10. craft — boats
  11. wind — moving air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bear — the animal
  17. sharp — clever
  18. craft — a skill
  19. game — wild animals
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. clip — a video
  22. wind — moving air
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. wind — to turn a key

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