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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. last — finally
  4. rock — a stone
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. spell — letters
  7. roll — a list
  8. roll — a cake
  9. last — final
  10. press — newspapers
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. scale — in music
  13. last — to go on
  14. rash — hasty
  15. scale — size or range
  16. spell — magic
  17. bark — to shout
  18. rock — music
  19. press — a publisher
  20. rash — a series
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. spell — a short time

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