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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  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. press — a publisher
  2. wind — moving air
  3. spring — a coil
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. bark — to shout
  8. wind — moving air
  9. press — to push
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. spring — of water
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. mine — for digging
  17. spring — the season
  18. vault — a safe
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. press — newspapers
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  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