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: fan · track · squash · chair · racket · degree · mine · hide

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. squash — to crush
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. track — a song
  7. track — to keep track
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. mine — for digging
  10. chair — a leader
  11. degree — from a university
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. squash — the sport
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — an amount
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. track — a path
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. racket — for tennis

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