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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. cue — a signal
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. pop — to visit
  6. content — happy
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. spring — the season
  9. press — a publisher
  10. cue — for pool
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. pop — soda
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. spring — of water
  15. game — a match
  16. sharp — clever
  17. spring — a coil
  18. content — the amount
  19. cue — a hint
  20. bat — the animal
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. press — newspapers
  23. press — to push
  24. game — wild animals

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