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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. scale — size or range
  4. ground — the earth
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. last — to go on
  8. ground — crushed
  9. last — finally
  10. last — final
  11. press — newspapers
  12. ball — a great time
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. scale — in music
  16. ball — a dance
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. ground — a position
  20. cold — not warm
  21. rush — hurry
  22. cold — an illness
  23. press — to push
  24. ball — a round shape

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