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 · season · net · court · fork · bear · shower · rush

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bear — the animal
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — in sport
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. net — for catching
  8. bear — the animal
  9. net — in sport
  10. court — of law
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. shower — to wash
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. rush — hurry
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. court — for sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. shower — rain
  22. court — of a king
  23. fork — in a road
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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