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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. press — a publisher
  3. wake — a trail
  4. kid — child
  5. press — to push
  6. squash — to crush
  7. land — a country
  8. land — to come down
  9. bound — tied together
  10. squash — the sport
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. bound — obliged
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. kid — to tease
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. capital — a city
  19. press — newspapers
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. bound — certain
  23. land — ground
  24. capital — money

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