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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. cold — an illness
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. press — a publisher
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. field — a subject
  11. land — ground
  12. land — to come down
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. field — farmland
  15. field — for sport
  16. press — to push
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. press — newspapers
  22. land — a country
  23. foot — a measure
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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