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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — a publisher
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mate — to breed
  6. wound — an injury
  7. tear — from crying
  8. perch — the fish
  9. wound — an injury
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. tear — to rip
  12. press — newspapers
  13. mark — a grade
  14. chest — a box
  15. chest — of your body
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. mate — a partner
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. mark — a trace
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. mate — a friend
  24. tear — from crying

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