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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. spell — magic
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. mate — a friend
  7. root — of a word
  8. mate — to breed
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. spell — a short time
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mate — a partner
  17. rule — government
  18. spell — letters
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. rule — a law
  21. root — of a plant
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. content — happy
  24. root — the cause

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