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: patient · bound · snap · bass · press · safe · shower · bat

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. snap — to click
  3. bass — low music
  4. bat — the animal
  5. press — to push
  6. bass — the fish
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — to wash
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. bound — obliged
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. bound — tied together
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. bound — certain
  19. press — newspapers
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. patient — a sick person

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