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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. press — a publisher
  4. cold — not warm
  5. spell — letters
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. rash — hasty
  11. press — to push
  12. capital — a city
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. squash — to crush
  15. spell — a short time
  16. squash — the sport
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. bear — the animal
  19. cold — an illness
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. spell — magic
  22. press — newspapers
  23. capital — money
  24. rash — on the skin

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