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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — to push
  7. chair — a leader
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. spring — the season
  13. charge — in control
  14. rash — a series
  15. face — part of the head
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. spring — a coil
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. charge — a price
  21. face — to point toward
  22. spring — of water
  23. face — to confront
  24. charge — electricity

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