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: fall · fan · court · bass · roll · degree · last · tear

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. tear — to rip
  3. roll — a list
  4. fall — the season
  5. last — finally
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — from a university
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. court — of a king
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bass — the fish
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — final
  15. court — for sport
  16. bass — low music
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — from crying
  19. degree — temperature
  20. court — of law
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. roll — a cake
  24. fall — to drop

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