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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bound — obliged
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pop — soda
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. firm — a company
  9. bound — certain
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bound — tied together
  14. press — to push
  15. press — newspapers
  16. tear — to rip
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. firm — decided
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pop — music
  23. press — a publisher
  24. tear — from crying

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