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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — of water
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. chair — a leader
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. press — to push
  13. rock — music
  14. shower — rain
  15. spring — the season
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — a publisher
  18. rock — a stone
  19. shower — to wash
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — farmland
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. field — for sport

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