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: pitcher · fine · jam · cold · key · foot · press · squash

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. key — the most important part
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. press — a publisher
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. squash — to crush
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. key — for a lock
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. key — in music
  13. cold — an illness
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fine — high quality
  16. fine — all right
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. squash — the sport
  22. foot — a measure
  23. press — newspapers
  24. cold — not warm

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