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 116 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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. spring — the season
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. season — of the year
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pound — a weight
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. press — a publisher
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. hand — help
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — a coil
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. press — newspapers
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. season — in sport
  18. row — a line
  19. kick — in football
  20. row — to paddle
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. fork — in a road
  23. hand — in cards
  24. pound — for dogs

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