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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — a container
  4. face — to point toward
  5. season — of the year
  6. rock — music
  7. wind — moving air
  8. kid — child
  9. season — in sport
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. press — a publisher
  12. prune — to trim
  13. press — to push
  14. tube — the underground
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. kid — to tease
  18. press — newspapers
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. rock — a stone
  21. wind — moving air
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — part of the head

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