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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — in sport
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bat — the animal
  8. fine — high quality
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. ball — a great time
  13. fine — all right
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. foot — a measure
  17. ball — a dance
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. season — of the year
  22. bound — certain
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. bound — tied together

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