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: fork · fan · clip · kid · bound · shower · face · content

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. bound — obliged
  4. kid — child
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. shower — rain
  7. content — the amount
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. content — happy
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — to cut
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bound — certain
  16. shower — to wash
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. face — to point toward
  19. fork — in a road
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. face — to confront
  22. face — part of the head
  23. bound — tied together
  24. kid — to tease

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