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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. press — a publisher
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. field — farmland
  7. bore — to tire
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. field — for sport
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bore — to drill
  14. field — a subject
  15. chest — a box
  16. cold — an illness
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. press — to push
  21. press — newspapers
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cabinet — ministers

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