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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. cell — in biology
  3. rash — hasty
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — wild animals
  7. press — newspapers
  8. wax — to grow
  9. press — to push
  10. march — the month
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rest — what's left
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. march — the month
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. cell — a phone
  18. game — a match
  19. march — music
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. rest — a break
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rash — a series
  24. press — a publisher

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