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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. cue — a signal
  3. spell — a short time
  4. stem — to come from
  5. swing — in golf
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. swing — to play on
  8. spell — magic
  9. march — music
  10. rest — what's left
  11. swing — music
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. spell — letters
  14. cue — a hint
  15. rest — a break
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rest — what's left
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. march — the month
  20. snap — to click
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. march — the month
  24. cue — for pool

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