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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mug — to rob
  3. rash — a series
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. key — for a lock
  7. rash — hasty
  8. dip — to sink
  9. key — the most important part
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. cell — a phone
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. drill — army training
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. drill — the tool
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. mug — a face
  18. mug — a cup
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. key — in music
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. drill — a practice
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. cell — in biology

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