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 · clip · ball · fall · nail · squash · staff · net

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. squash — to crush
  4. clip — for paper
  5. staff — a stick
  6. fall — to drop
  7. net — in sport
  8. squash — the sport
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. net — after costs
  11. staff — employees
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. ball — a dance
  14. clip — a video
  15. net — for catching
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. ball — a great time
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. clip — to cut
  23. staff — employees
  24. fan — a supporter

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