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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. net — in sport
  3. swing — in golf
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — a position
  6. net — for catching
  7. press — a publisher
  8. bulb — for light
  9. net — after costs
  10. bulb — for light
  11. press — to push
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. swing — music
  15. cap — a lid
  16. sharp — clever
  17. swing — to play on
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. ground — the earth
  20. mine — for digging
  21. press — newspapers
  22. cap — a hat
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. bulb — of a plant

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