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

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bear — the animal
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. ball — a great time
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. ball — a dance
  8. bear — the animal
  9. press — newspapers
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. object — an aim
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. object — to protest
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. press — to push
  18. object — a thing
  19. cold — not warm
  20. mine — for digging
  21. press — a publisher
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. date — the fruit
  24. mine — an explosive

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