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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. deal — to handle
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. present — there
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. degree — from a university
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. current — of water
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. degree — temperature
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. shower — to wash
  14. present — the time now
  15. present — a gift
  16. current — happening now
  17. degree — an amount
  18. current — electric
  19. wind — moving air
  20. shower — rain
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. wind — moving air
  24. leaves — to go away

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