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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. spell — letters
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. firm — a company
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kid — child
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. press — a publisher
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. firm — decided
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. spell — magic
  16. firm — steady
  17. press — newspapers
  18. ball — a dance
  19. spell — a short time
  20. stem — to come from
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. ball — a great time
  24. press — to push

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