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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. drill — army training
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. game — wild animals
  7. drill — the tool
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. prune — to trim
  12. game — a match
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. board — to get on
  15. plane — a tool
  16. wound — an injury
  17. board — a committee
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. drill — a practice
  21. prune — to trim
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. plane — in geometry

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