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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. staff — employees
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stock — goods
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. spell — a short time
  8. press — a publisher
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. staff — a stick
  11. spell — magic
  12. chair — a leader
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. spell — letters
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — moving air
  19. press — newspapers
  20. stock — shares
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. press — to push
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. staff — employees

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