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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. court — of a king
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. fork — in a road
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. march — the month
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. season — of the year
  14. press — newspapers
  15. court — for sport
  16. press — to push
  17. dip — to sink
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. wax — to grow
  23. court — of law
  24. dip — a sauce

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