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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. press — a publisher
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. cue — a signal
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. press — to push
  9. content — happy
  10. capital — money
  11. shower — rain
  12. fine — all right
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. press — newspapers
  15. content — the amount
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. fine — high quality
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. cue — a hint
  20. capital — a city
  21. shower — to wash
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. cue — for pool

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