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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — to point toward
  4. press — to push
  5. spring — a coil
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cue — for pool
  8. prune — to trim
  9. press — a publisher
  10. bat — the animal
  11. pit — in a race
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pit — a hole
  15. cue — a signal
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — of water
  20. press — newspapers
  21. face — part of the head
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. cue — a hint
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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