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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. last — finally
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. squash — to crush
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — final
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mark — a grade
  10. kid — to tease
  11. hand — in cards
  12. press — a publisher
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. dip — to sink
  19. sharp — clever
  20. squash — the sport
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. kid — child
  23. press — to push
  24. press — newspapers

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