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: bass · hand · fork · bear · squash · tube · game · fan

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. game — a match
  5. bass — low music
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. tube — a container
  9. game — wild animals
  10. tube — the underground
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. hand — help
  13. squash — the sport
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. squash — to crush
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. bass — the fish
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — the animal

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