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: squash · club · land · mug · straw · bulb · content · press

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. bulb — for light
  3. mug — a cup
  4. land — ground
  5. squash — to crush
  6. club — a group
  7. club — for dancing
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — a country
  10. press — newspapers
  11. mug — a face
  12. bulb — for light
  13. content — happy
  14. mug — to rob
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. press — to push
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. squash — the sport
  21. club — for golf
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. content — the amount
  24. straw — a straw man

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