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: tube · bore · march · shower · press · club · hand · kick

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  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. tube — the underground
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. tube — a container
  4. press — a publisher
  5. shower — to wash
  6. march — the month
  7. hand — help
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. shower — rain
  12. bore — to tire
  13. hand — in cards
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — a group
  18. club — for golf
  19. press — to push
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. kick — in football
  23. bore — to drill
  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