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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. field — for sport
  3. press — a publisher
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. press — newspapers
  6. field — a subject
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. plane — a tool
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — a leader
  13. field — farmland
  14. key — for a lock
  15. press — to push
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. bark — to shout
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. band — a music group
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. key — in music
  22. band — a ring
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. plane — in geometry

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