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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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. cell — a phone
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. drill — army training
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. drill — a practice
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — size or range
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. fork — in a road
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bark — to shout
  23. fine — all right
  24. drill — the tool

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