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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bulb — for light
  5. spring — a coil
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. spring — of water
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. press — a publisher
  11. bulb — for light
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. degree — an amount
  14. fine — all right
  15. degree — from a university
  16. fine — high quality
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. degree — temperature
  20. foot — a measure
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. dip — to sink
  23. press — newspapers
  24. spring — the season

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