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: leaves · row · cold · fork · mate · ball · fan · rush

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. rush — hurry
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. row — to paddle
  5. mate — a friend
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. mate — to breed
  9. fork — in a road
  10. row — a line
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. ball — a dance
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. cold — not warm
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. mate — a partner
  19. cold — an illness
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. ball — a great time
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. cold — the Cold War

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