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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. bass — the fish
  3. plane — a tool
  4. bass — low music
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. cell — in biology
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. cold — not warm
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. track — a path
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. cell — a phone
  14. track — a song
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. rush — hurry
  17. cold — an illness
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. track — to keep track
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. press — a publisher
  24. press — newspapers

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