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: deal · squash · nail · cold · fan · shower · bowl · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. deal — to handle
  3. cold — an illness
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. squash — the sport
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. field — farmland
  9. shower — to wash
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. shower — rain
  15. cold — not warm
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. field — for sport
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. squash — to crush
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. cold — the Cold War

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