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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bound — certain
  4. stem — to come from
  5. bound — tied together
  6. spell — letters
  7. field — for sport
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. fall — to drop
  10. date — the fruit
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. fall — the season
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. field — farmland
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. field — a subject
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. bound — obliged
  21. fall — to drop
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — a short time
  24. date — on the calendar

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