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 116 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bear — the animal
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. key — for a lock
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. cold — not warm
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bear — the animal
  11. net — after costs
  12. net — for catching
  13. key — the most important part
  14. key — in music
  15. cold — an illness
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. net — in sport
  20. bass — low music
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cap — of ice
  23. bass — the fish
  24. cap — a hat

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