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 124 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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. wind — moving air
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. wind — moving air
  5. ground — crushed
  6. roll — a list
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. object — a thing
  9. press — a publisher
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. press — to push
  12. ground — the earth
  13. object — an aim
  14. press — newspapers
  15. file — a tool
  16. object — to protest
  17. file — a document
  18. saw — the tool
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. roll — a cake
  21. file — a line of people
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. saw — the tool
  24. date — the fruit

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