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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. cold — an illness
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. bulb — for light
  6. rash — a series
  7. press — to push
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bulb — for light
  10. press — newspapers
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. cold — not warm
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. pitch — completely
  17. fine — high quality
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fine — all right
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. press — a publisher
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bat — in an idiom

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