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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. row — to paddle
  6. date — the fruit
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. march — music
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. club — a group
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. march — the month
  14. chair — a leader
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. field — a subject
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — for dancing
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cap — a lid
  21. field — farmland
  22. row — a line
  23. field — for sport
  24. march — the month

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