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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. press — to push
  3. press — a publisher
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. press — newspapers
  6. band — a ring
  7. drill — army training
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. drill — the tool
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. band — a music group
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. present — the time now
  15. capital — a city
  16. wake — a trail
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. drill — a practice
  20. capital — money
  21. present — a gift
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. present — there

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