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: press · chair · staff · stick · rule · game · bass · rush

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. press — newspapers
  3. chair — a leader
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — employees
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rule — government
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — to push
  13. bass — low music
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. game — wild animals
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bass — the fish
  18. rush — hurry
  19. game — a match
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. staff — a stick

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