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: club · calf · cold · squash · press · dip · chair · rush

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. dip — to sink
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. squash — the sport
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — a leader
  11. rush — hurry
  12. club — a group
  13. cold — an illness
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — for dancing
  16. cold — not warm
  17. squash — to crush
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. press — newspapers
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. press — a publisher

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