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 120 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 · spell · file · prune · bass · foot · land · track

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bass — low music
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — a measure
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. track — to keep track
  10. land — to come down
  11. spell — a short time
  12. prune — to trim
  13. file — a tool
  14. prune — to trim
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. track — a path
  17. track — a song
  18. land — a country
  19. file — a line of people
  20. spell — magic
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. land — ground
  23. spell — letters
  24. file — a document

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