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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. game — a match
  3. press — a publisher
  4. wound — an injury
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. file — a document
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. bear — the animal
  10. file — a tool
  11. land — to come down
  12. file — a line of people
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. land — a country
  15. craft — boats
  16. game — wild animals
  17. press — to push
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bear — the animal
  23. press — newspapers
  24. craft — a skill

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