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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. press — newspapers
  3. march — the month
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. spell — magic
  6. press — a publisher
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. march — the month
  9. spell — a short time
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. wind — moving air
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. press — to push
  14. kid — to tease
  15. content — happy
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. chair — a leader
  18. content — the amount
  19. march — music
  20. spell — letters
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. wind — moving air
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. kid — child

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