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 · rash · racket · fan · hand · bound · cold · bowl

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. cold — not warm
  4. bound — tied together
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. press — a publisher
  7. rash — hasty
  8. bound — certain
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. cold — an illness
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. hand — help
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. hand — in cards
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. press — newspapers
  20. press — to push
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. fan — a supporter
  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