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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. press — a publisher
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. season — of the year
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. mine — for digging
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. season — in sport
  14. march — music
  15. deal — to handle
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. march — the month
  19. press — newspapers
  20. press — to push
  21. lean — thin
  22. lean — to bend
  23. march — the month
  24. mine — belonging to me

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