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: swing · bark · leaves · straw · mine · press · march · object

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. press — newspapers
  5. object — to protest
  6. swing — music
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bark — to shout
  9. swing — in golf
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. object — a thing
  12. press — to push
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. swing — to play on
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. march — the month
  18. press — a publisher
  19. object — an aim
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. march — the month
  23. mine — for digging
  24. leaves — to go away

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