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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. cold — an illness
  3. drill — the tool
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. object — to protest
  6. press — a publisher
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. drill — army training
  9. press — to push
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. press — newspapers
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pop — soda
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. chair — a leader
  16. object — an aim
  17. cold — not warm
  18. drill — a practice
  19. object — a thing
  20. pop — music
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pop — to visit
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. cold — the Cold War

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