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 120 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: plane · shower · tear · racket · content · fan · patient · sharp

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. content — the amount
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. tear — to rip
  7. content — happy
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. plane — a tool
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. tear — from crying
  21. shower — rain
  22. sharp — clever
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. tear — from crying

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