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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. march — music
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. game — wild animals
  5. shower — to wash
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. scale — in music
  8. saw — the tool
  9. shower — rain
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. press — to push
  13. press — newspapers
  14. press — a publisher
  15. march — the month
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. march — the month
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. squash — the sport
  20. saw — the tool
  21. toast — bread
  22. game — a match
  23. scale — size or range
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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