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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bound — obliged
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — to tease
  6. bound — tied together
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. ground — the earth
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — the season
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bound — certain
  19. press — newspapers
  20. date — the fruit
  21. ground — a position
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. press — a publisher

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