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: rush · chair · press · perch · root · spell · squash · march

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. spell — magic
  3. root — of a word
  4. spell — letters
  5. march — music
  6. chair — a leader
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. rush — hurry
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — to crush
  13. press — a publisher
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. march — the month
  16. press — newspapers
  17. root — the cause
  18. root — of a plant
  19. spell — a short time
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. press — to push
  22. march — the month
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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