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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. row — to paddle
  3. club — for dancing
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. press — to push
  6. press — a publisher
  7. club — a group
  8. cell — in biology
  9. tear — from crying
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. tear — to rip
  15. club — for golf
  16. row — a line
  17. tear — from crying
  18. press — newspapers

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