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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. press — to push
  3. press — a publisher
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. rash — a series
  7. press — newspapers
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. bulb — for light
  10. sharp — clever
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mark — a grade
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bulb — for light
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. mark — a trace
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. stem — to come from
  20. rash — hasty
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kid — to tease

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