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 120 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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. wound — an injury
  5. firm — decided
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. lean — thin
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. firm — a company
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. club — for dancing
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chip — to eat
  14. press — newspapers
  15. cold — not warm
  16. wound — an injury
  17. firm — steady
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cold — an illness
  20. club — a group
  21. press — to push
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. club — for golf
  24. chip — for betting

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