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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bark — to shout
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. game — a match
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. ball — a dance
  10. squash — to crush
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. squash — the sport
  14. press — newspapers
  15. ball — a great time
  16. press — a publisher
  17. toast — bread
  18. wound — an injury
  19. game — wild animals
  20. club — a group
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. club — for dancing
  23. press — to push
  24. club — for golf

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