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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — newspapers
  3. net — for catching
  4. mine — for digging
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. board — to get on
  7. suit — in cards
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. cell — a phone
  11. board — a committee
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — after costs
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. press — a publisher
  16. cell — in biology
  17. row — a line
  18. suit — clothes
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — to play on
  21. suit — to fit
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. swing — music
  24. row — to paddle

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