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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. spell — magic
  3. bark — to shout
  4. spell — a short time
  5. wound — an injury
  6. ground — crushed
  7. press — to push
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. fall — to drop
  11. press — newspapers
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. ground — a position
  14. wound — an injury
  15. kick — in football
  16. press — a publisher
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. spell — letters
  19. fall — to drop
  20. ground — the earth
  21. race — a contest
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. race — humankind
  24. race — the arms race

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