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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.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. kid — child
  3. lie — to recline
  4. wound — an injury
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — to push
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. snap — to click
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. chair — a leader
  18. press — newspapers
  19. wound — an injury
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. kid — to tease
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. snap — to speak sharply

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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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