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: rest · cold · track · dip · fork · key · pitcher · press

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. key — for a lock
  5. track — to keep track
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. press — newspapers
  10. key — the most important part
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rest — what's left
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. cold — an illness
  15. rest — what's left
  16. track — a song
  17. track — a path
  18. rest — a break
  19. press — to push
  20. key — in music
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. cold — not warm
  23. dip — to sink
  24. fork — in a road

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