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 is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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. lean — thin
  4. scale — in music
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. scale — size or range
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. stand — to bear
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. press — a publisher
  12. tear — from crying
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wake — a trail
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. lean — to bend
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cold — not warm
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  24. sharp — clever

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