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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. bass — the fish
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. file — a line of people
  5. bound — tied together
  6. hand — help
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bass — low music
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. press — a publisher
  12. hand — in cards
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bound — certain
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. wound — an injury
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. wound — an injury
  21. toast — bread
  22. file — a document
  23. press — to push
  24. file — a tool

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