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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. club — a group
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. net — after costs
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. rash — hasty
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rash — a series
  10. bore — to drill
  11. press — a publisher
  12. club — for golf
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — in sport
  18. club — for dancing
  19. wound — an injury
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. press — newspapers
  23. bore — to tire
  24. press — to push

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