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 116 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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rest — what's left
  3. last — to go on
  4. press — a publisher
  5. track — to keep track
  6. saw — the tool
  7. track — a song
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. swing — music
  10. press — to push
  11. swing — to play on
  12. last — final
  13. press — newspapers
  14. saw — the tool
  15. track — a path
  16. swing — in golf
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. rest — what's left
  19. present — there
  20. present — the time now
  21. last — finally
  22. present — a gift
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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