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: bowl · fan · tube · capital · lean · object · plane · march

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. march — music
  3. lean — thin
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. capital — money
  7. tube — a container
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. object — an aim
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. object — a thing
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. tube — the underground
  16. march — the month
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. plane — a tool
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. capital — a city
  22. lean — to bend
  23. march — the month
  24. object — to protest

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