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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — farmland
  4. pit — in a race
  5. press — newspapers
  6. cold — an illness
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cold — not warm
  10. pop — soda
  11. field — for sport
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. pop — to visit
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. press — to push
  16. press — a publisher
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. pit — a hole
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. pop — music
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. saw — the tool
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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