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: fall · bark · toast · press · patient · scale · row · pop

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. toast — bread
  3. press — a publisher
  4. fall — to drop
  5. press — to push
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. scale — size or range
  10. fall — the season
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — to shout
  15. pop — to visit
  16. fall — to drop
  17. row — to paddle
  18. press — newspapers
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. pop — soda
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. scale — in music
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. row — a line

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