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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. press — to push
  4. capital — money
  5. saw — the tool
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — newspapers
  9. fall — the season
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — a box
  13. fall — to drop
  14. rash — a series
  15. chest — of your body
  16. fall — to drop
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. saw — the tool
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. capital — a city
  21. ball — a dance
  22. rash — hasty
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ball — a round shape

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