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 120 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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. court — of a king
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. court — for sport
  7. bass — low music
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. court — of law
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. degree — temperature
  12. hand — help
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bass — the fish
  15. object — an aim
  16. degree — an amount
  17. object — to protest
  18. mark — a trace
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — in cards
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. object — a thing
  23. mark — a grade
  24. temple — a place of worship

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