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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. press — a publisher
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. root — of a plant
  5. staff — a stick
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. press — to push
  8. root — of a word
  9. press — newspapers
  10. net — after costs
  11. spring — of water
  12. net — for catching
  13. game — wild animals
  14. staff — employees
  15. wind — moving air
  16. root — the cause
  17. spring — a coil
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. spring — the season
  21. game — a match
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. staff — employees
  24. net — in sport

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