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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spring — the season
  5. squash — to crush
  6. spring — of water
  7. press — to push
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. ground — crushed
  10. press — a publisher
  11. court — of a king
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. press — newspapers
  14. track — a path
  15. track — a song
  16. spell — letters
  17. court — for sport
  18. spell — magic
  19. plane — a tool
  20. track — to keep track
  21. spring — a coil
  22. ground — the earth
  23. court — of law
  24. ground — a position

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