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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. press — to push
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. track — to keep track
  6. wind — moving air
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. track — a path
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — a break
  11. season — in sport
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. press — newspapers
  14. wind — moving air
  15. mine — for digging
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. season — of the year
  19. deal — to handle
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. rest — what's left
  22. track — a song
  23. press — a publisher
  24. lie — to recline

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