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 120 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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. spring — of water
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. last — finally
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. spring — the season
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. last — to go on
  10. press — a publisher
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pit — in a race
  14. content — the amount
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. content — happy
  18. press — newspapers
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bulb — for light
  22. pit — a hole
  23. last — final
  24. content — videos and posts

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