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 120 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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. press — to push
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. kid — child
  10. scale — in music
  11. row — a line
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. scale — size or range
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. kid — to tease
  16. saw — the tool
  17. row — to paddle
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. foot — a measure
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. press — a publisher
  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