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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. fall — the season
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. cap — a lid
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — newspapers
  9. cap — of ice
  10. kick — in football
  11. field — for sport
  12. fall — to drop
  13. drill — a practice
  14. drill — the tool
  15. cap — a hat
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. field — a subject
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. field — farmland
  20. capital — a city
  21. hand — in cards
  22. fall — to drop
  23. capital — money
  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