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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. drill — a practice
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. season — in sport
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. season — of the year
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — army training
  15. plane — a tool
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cold — not warm
  20. bass — low music
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fork — in a road

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