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 116 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: present · march · coach · fan · degree · saw · lean · last

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. degree — temperature
  4. lean — to bend
  5. last — final
  6. saw — the tool
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. present — a gift
  11. degree — from a university
  12. present — the time now
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. last — finally
  15. degree — an amount
  16. saw — the tool
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. present — there
  19. march — music
  20. last — to go on
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. lean — thin
  23. march — the month
  24. march — the month

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