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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — a container
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. press — to push
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. kick — in football
  11. shower — to wash
  12. press — a publisher
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. perch — the fish
  16. press — newspapers
  17. season — in sport
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. shower — rain
  22. season — of the year
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. squash — to crush

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