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: rash · bound · press · deal · sharp · trunk · court · roll

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. bound — tied together
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. court — for sport
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. press — newspapers
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. press — a publisher
  10. deal — to handle
  11. court — of law
  12. press — to push
  13. bound — certain
  14. rash — a series
  15. bound — obliged
  16. sharp — clever
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. roll — a list
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. roll — a cake
  22. court — of a king
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. trunk — of a tree

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