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: kid · fan · cell · bass · craft · row · coach · cap

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. row — to paddle
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cell — in biology
  6. bass — the fish
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. kid — child
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. craft — boats
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. row — a line
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. cap — a lid
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cap — of ice
  21. kid — to tease
  22. craft — a skill
  23. cell — a phone
  24. bass — low music

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