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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. mine — for digging
  3. fine — all right
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wound — an injury
  8. hand — help
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. wound — an injury
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. squash — the sport
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bear — the animal
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. fine — high quality
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. season — in sport
  22. season — of the year
  23. squash — to crush
  24. bear — the animal

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