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 116 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: suit · cold · bowl · dip · wind · staff · bark · fan

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. bark — to shout
  6. suit — in cards
  7. cold — an illness
  8. staff — employees
  9. cold — not warm
  10. wind — moving air
  11. staff — a stick
  12. suit — to fit
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. suit — clothes
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. dip — to sink
  23. staff — employees
  24. wind — moving air

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