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: press · snap · mark · chair · can · rash · land · pitcher

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. snap — to click
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. rash — hasty
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. press — a publisher
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. land — a country
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — ground
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. can — a tin
  14. chair — a leader
  15. can — a tin
  16. mark — a trace
  17. press — to push
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. mark — a grade
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. press — newspapers
  24. rash — a series

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