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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. cold — not warm
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. squash — the sport
  6. track — a song
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. track — a path
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. squash — to crush
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. content — happy
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. chip — for betting
  20. track — to keep track
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. cold — an illness
  23. content — the amount
  24. chip — to eat

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