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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: degree · coach · spell · land · lash · fork · fan · stick

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. degree — temperature
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. spell — magic
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. spell — letters
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. spell — a short time
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. degree — from a university
  19. land — ground
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. land — to come down
  23. fork — in a road
  24. degree — an amount

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