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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. rest — a break
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. tear — from crying
  5. rest — what's left
  6. craft — a skill
  7. tear — to rip
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. tear — from crying
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. craft — boats
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. date — the fruit
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. shower — rain
  19. bass — the fish
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. bass — low music
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. rest — what's left
  24. shower — to wash

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