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: last · bass · hide · pitcher · leaves · file · fine · press

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. press — a publisher
  3. last — to go on
  4. press — to push
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. file — a tool
  9. fine — high quality
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. file — a document
  13. bass — low music
  14. last — final
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bass — the fish
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. last — finally
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. press — newspapers
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. fine — all right
  24. pitcher — a jug

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