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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. vault — a safe
  3. press — a publisher
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. bat — the animal
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. rash — a series
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hand — in cards
  17. press — to push
  18. press — newspapers
  19. rash — hasty
  20. hand — help
  21. squash — to crush
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. lie — to recline
  24. bat — for baseball

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