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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. press — to push
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. toast — bread
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. band — a ring
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. rash — hasty
  11. saw — the tool
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. march — the month
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. press — a publisher
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. march — the month
  21. press — newspapers
  22. band — a music group
  23. rash — a series
  24. march — music

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