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. The water is too ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. press — a publisher
  3. swing — in golf
  4. track — a song
  5. press — newspapers
  6. track — to keep track
  7. cold — an illness
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. charge — electricity
  10. present — the time now
  11. charge — in control
  12. present — there
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. swing — music
  15. present — a gift
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. press — to push
  19. game — a match
  20. game — wild animals
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. charge — a price
  23. swing — to play on
  24. track — a path

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