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: press · field · tear · mouse · saw · file · can · net

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. file — a line of people
  5. can — a tin
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. file — a tool
  11. press — newspapers
  12. file — a document
  13. saw — the tool
  14. field — a subject
  15. can — to be able to
  16. net — after costs
  17. saw — the tool
  18. tear — from crying
  19. net — in sport
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — for sport
  22. press — a publisher
  23. can — a tin
  24. net — for catching

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