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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. tube — the underground
  4. press — a publisher
  5. tube — a container
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. rash — a series
  8. season — in sport
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. press — to push
  12. net — for catching
  13. season — of the year
  14. face — part of the head
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rash — hasty
  17. press — newspapers
  18. net — after costs
  19. face — to point toward
  20. net — in sport
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. fall — the season
  24. face — to confront

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