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: wind · ball · shower · hand · fall · deal · game · fan

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. fall — the season
  3. wind — moving air
  4. fall — to drop
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. ball — a great time
  7. wind — moving air
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. ball — a dance
  10. game — a match
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. shower — to wash
  14. hand — help
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. deal — to handle
  19. shower — rain
  20. game — wild animals
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fall — to drop
  24. hand — in cards

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