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: game · fan · press · pound · trunk · spring · dip · mine

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. press — to push
  6. game — a match
  7. dip — to sink
  8. pound — a weight
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. press — a publisher
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. spring — a coil
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. spring — of water
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. spring — the season
  20. press — newspapers
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. mine — for digging
  24. pound — to hit hard

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