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 120 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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. suit — in cards
  4. mark — a grade
  5. press — to push
  6. suit — clothes
  7. bat — the animal
  8. spring — a coil
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. cold — an illness
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. press — a publisher
  13. cold — not warm
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. spring — of water
  19. ball — a great time
  20. spring — the season
  21. suit — to fit
  22. mark — a trace
  23. press — newspapers
  24. leaves — lets stay

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