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 116 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 · sharp · race · press · march · hide · scale · wind

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. fall — the season
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. wind — moving air
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. press — to push
  9. fall — to drop
  10. press — newspapers
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. race — the arms race
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. fall — to drop
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. press — a publisher
  18. wind — moving air
  19. race — a contest
  20. march — music
  21. race — humankind
  22. scale — size or range
  23. sharp — clever
  24. scale — in music

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