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: firm · press · coach · lie · field · bound · rock · spell

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. rock — music
  3. field — farmland
  4. firm — decided
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. press — to push
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. field — for sport
  10. rock — a stone
  11. press — newspapers
  12. lie — to recline
  13. spell — letters
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. spell — a short time
  16. bound — certain
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bound — tied together
  19. field — a subject
  20. spell — magic
  21. bound — obliged
  22. firm — steady
  23. press — a publisher
  24. rock — to move gently

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