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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. march — the month
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. bound — certain
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. march — music
  9. stem — to come from
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. spell — letters
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. season — of the year
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. season — in sport
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. bound — tied together
  18. dip — to sink
  19. spell — magic
  20. tube — a container
  21. tube — the underground
  22. march — the month
  23. bound — obliged
  24. spell — a short time

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