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: chest · snap · press · bound · roll · chair · perch · mine

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. bound — obliged
  3. perch — the fish
  4. bound — certain
  5. press — newspapers
  6. roll — a list
  7. bound — tied together
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chest — a box
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. press — to push
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. roll — a cake
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. mine — for digging
  18. chest — of your body
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. chair — a leader
  21. chest — of your body
  22. snap — to click
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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