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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. press — newspapers
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wake — a trail
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. net — in sport
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. staff — employees
  11. net — after costs
  12. staff — employees
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. current — electric
  15. press — a publisher
  16. current — happening now
  17. staff — a stick
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. current — of water
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wound — an injury
  23. net — for catching
  24. wound — an injury

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