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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. spring — of water
  4. press — a publisher
  5. foot — a measure
  6. row — a line
  7. key — the most important part
  8. mine — for digging
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. spring — the season
  12. can — to be able to
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. spring — a coil
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. press — newspapers
  21. key — for a lock
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. row — to paddle
  24. key — in music

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