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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. chest — a box
  4. chest — of your body
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. press — to push
  7. rush — hurry
  8. season — in sport
  9. hand — help
  10. row — a line
  11. press — newspapers
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. season — of the year
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. row — to paddle
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. kick — in football
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. chest — of your body
  22. press — a publisher
  23. hand — in cards
  24. rush — a thrill

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