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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: deal · press · ground · tear · kid · stand

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. ground — a position
  3. deal — to handle
  4. tear — to rip
  5. ground — the earth
  6. press — newspapers
  7. kid — child
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. press — to push
  10. press — a publisher
  11. ground — crushed
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. tear — from crying
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. tear — from crying
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stand — to bear

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