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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. stand — to bear
  5. spring — a coil
  6. rock — a stone
  7. court — for sport
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — after costs
  11. season — of the year
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. hand — help
  14. court — of law
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. hand — in cards
  17. rock — music
  18. season — in sport
  19. press — a publisher
  20. net — in sport
  21. spring — of water
  22. court — of a king
  23. press — newspapers
  24. spring — the season

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