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 120 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: press · wound · firm · last · season · tube · chair · content

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. season — of the year
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. chair — a leader
  5. press — to push
  6. wound — an injury
  7. content — the amount
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. last — final
  11. firm — a company
  12. tube — the underground
  13. last — to go on
  14. content — happy
  15. tube — a container
  16. wound — an injury
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. press — newspapers
  20. press — a publisher
  21. firm — decided
  22. season — in sport
  23. firm — steady
  24. content — videos and posts

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