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 116 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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. press — to push
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bound — tied together
  9. press — newspapers
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bound — certain
  12. band — a music group
  13. shower — to wash
  14. bound — obliged
  15. shower — rain
  16. band — a ring
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. mine — for digging

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