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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. press — to push
  3. last — to go on
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bound — certain
  6. last — final
  7. bound — tied together
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. shower — rain
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. shower — to wash
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. squash — to crush
  16. race — the arms race
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pound — a weight
  19. press — a publisher
  20. last — finally
  21. race — humankind
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. race — a contest
  24. press — newspapers

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