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: fan · land · trunk · press · nail · snap · cell · squash

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. land — to come down
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. cell — in biology
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. squash — the sport
  13. land — ground
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — a phone
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. press — to push
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. press — a publisher
  21. press — newspapers
  22. snap — to click
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. land — a country

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