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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. date — the fruit
  3. game — a match
  4. press — to push
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. court — for sport
  7. club — for dancing
  8. rush — hurry
  9. game — wild animals
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. root — of a word
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. root — the cause
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. court — of a king
  20. root — of a plant
  21. press — newspapers
  22. club — for golf
  23. court — of law
  24. club — a group

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