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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. saw — the tool
  3. press — a publisher
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. root — of a word
  6. sharp — clever
  7. court — of a king
  8. bore — to tire
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. press — newspapers
  11. pound — a weight
  12. cold — not warm
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. court — of law
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. saw — the tool
  17. press — to push
  18. root — of a plant
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. bore — to drill
  22. root — the cause
  23. court — for sport
  24. cold — an illness

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