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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. press — newspapers
  3. bass — low music
  4. field — for sport
  5. drill — army training
  6. can — a tin
  7. bass — the fish
  8. tear — from crying
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — a lid
  12. can — a tin
  13. spell — a short time
  14. field — farmland
  15. can — to be able to
  16. tear — from crying
  17. spell — letters
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — to push
  20. field — a subject
  21. drill — the tool
  22. spell — magic
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. drill — a practice

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