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: rash · board · march · tube · stick · net · shower · fan

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. shower — to wash
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. march — the month
  12. tube — the underground
  13. net — in sport
  14. board — a committee
  15. net — for catching
  16. board — to get on
  17. rash — a series
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. net — after costs
  21. shower — rain
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. tube — a container

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