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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bass — the fish
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. rest — a break
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. press — a publisher
  8. wound — an injury
  9. season — in sport
  10. kid — child
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. press — newspapers
  14. rest — what's left
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. press — to push
  18. pass — a permit
  19. bass — low music
  20. season — of the year
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. rest — what's left
  24. vault — a safe

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