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: root · spell · fan · shower · patient · racket · degree · pitcher

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. spell — letters
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. degree — temperature
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. root — the cause
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — to wash
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. degree — from a university
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. root — of a plant
  18. degree — an amount
  19. root — of a word
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — magic
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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