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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. wind — moving air
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — a series
  5. march — the month
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. march — music
  8. cell — in biology
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. wind — moving air
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. rash — hasty
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. march — the month
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. snap — to click
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ball — a great time
  24. fan — to cool the air

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