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 120 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 · bat · stick · pop · rush · object · drill · game

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. press — a publisher
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bat — the animal
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — music
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. drill — a practice
  9. press — to push
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. object — an aim
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. drill — the tool
  16. drill — army training
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — a match
  19. press — newspapers
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. object — to protest
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. rush — hurry
  24. object — a thing

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