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: club · fan · file · tube · degree · saw · rock · fine

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. club — for dancing
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fine — all right
  6. tube — the underground
  7. rock — a stone
  8. club — for golf
  9. club — a group
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — from a university
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. file — a tool
  15. tube — a container
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. saw — the tool
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. file — a document
  21. file — a line of people
  22. saw — the tool
  23. degree — an amount
  24. fan — to cool the 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