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 120 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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. wound — an injury
  3. chair — a leader
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. spell — a short time
  7. press — a publisher
  8. board — to get on
  9. tear — from crying
  10. shower — rain
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. tear — to rip
  13. press — newspapers
  14. press — to push
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — a committee
  17. spell — letters
  18. shower — to wash
  19. bulb — for light
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bulb — for light
  22. spell — magic
  23. tear — from crying
  24. chair — to sit on

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