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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. cap — of ice
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. land — ground
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. pit — in a race
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — a lid
  16. land — to come down
  17. branch — a division
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. degree — temperature
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. pit — a hole
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. land — a country

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