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: fan · arm · fine · coach · scale · wind · wake · march

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. wind — moving air
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fine — all right
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. scale — in music
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. march — the month
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. fine — high quality
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wind — moving air
  21. march — the month
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. march — music

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