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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. deal — to handle
  5. key — the most important part
  6. spring — a coil
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. key — for a lock
  9. clip — to cut
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. clip — for paper
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. spring — of water
  16. prune — to trim
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. spring — the season
  19. clip — a video
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. bass — low music
  23. key — in music
  24. prune — to trim

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