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 had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. fall — to drop
  3. chest — of your body
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. band — a ring
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. press — to push
  8. fall — to drop
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. chest — a box
  11. press — a publisher
  12. band — a music group
  13. face — to point toward
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. face — to confront
  16. fall — the season
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. degree — an amount
  19. press — newspapers
  20. chest — of your body
  21. degree — from a university
  22. row — a line
  23. face — part of the head
  24. degree — temperature

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