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: tear · spring · press · net · date · firm · ball · file

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. ball — a great time
  3. firm — a company
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. tear — from crying
  6. press — a publisher
  7. spring — a coil
  8. tear — to rip
  9. ball — a dance
  10. file — a line of people
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — the season
  13. date — the fruit
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. tear — from crying
  16. file — a document
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — in sport
  20. firm — decided
  21. file — a tool
  22. firm — steady
  23. press — to push
  24. press — newspapers

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