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: arm · temple · pitcher · fan · face · fall · last · racket

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fall — the season
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — to drop
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. last — to go on
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. last — final
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. face — to confront
  20. face — to point toward
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. last — finally
  24. face — part of the head

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