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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — thin
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. spring — a coil
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. game — a match
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mate — a partner
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. spring — the season
  18. game — wild animals
  19. mate — a friend
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pass — a permit
  23. spring — of water
  24. mate — to breed

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