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: fan · bass · cap · spell · degree · racket · rash · hand

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bass — low music
  3. rash — a series
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. cap — a lid
  6. spell — a short time
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. hand — in cards
  11. degree — temperature
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. cap — of ice
  14. rash — hasty
  15. degree — an amount
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. degree — from a university
  18. cap — a hat
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. spell — magic
  22. bass — the fish
  23. spell — letters
  24. hand — help

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