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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. stock — shares
  7. key — the most important part
  8. land — a country
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — in sport
  11. key — for a lock
  12. prune — to trim
  13. land — to come down
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. land — ground
  16. squash — to crush
  17. stock — goods
  18. wind — moving air
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. wind — moving air
  21. key — in music
  22. prune — to trim
  23. squash — the sport
  24. squash — the vegetable

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