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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. land — to come down
  3. march — the month
  4. wound — an injury
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. land — ground
  7. press — a publisher
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. game — a match
  10. press — to push
  11. march — music
  12. game — wild animals
  13. land — a country
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. wound — an injury
  18. march — the month
  19. spell — letters
  20. press — newspapers
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. spell — a short time

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