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 · spring · foot · squash · row · face · mine · cue

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. spring — of water
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. spring — a coil
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. mine — for digging
  10. face — to point toward
  11. row — a line
  12. spring — the season
  13. cue — a signal
  14. cue — a hint
  15. squash — the sport
  16. foot — a measure
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. row — to paddle
  19. cue — for pool
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. squash — to crush
  23. face — part of the head
  24. face — to confront

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