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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. chest — of your body
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. spring — of water
  5. dip — to sink
  6. hand — in cards
  7. chest — a box
  8. spring — the season
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. suit — to fit
  11. press — a publisher
  12. rash — hasty
  13. suit — in cards
  14. suit — clothes
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. squash — the sport
  18. hand — help
  19. press — to push
  20. chest — of your body
  21. spring — a coil
  22. press — newspapers
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the vegetable

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