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 · fan · bowl · mate · cell · capital · calf · safe

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. press — a publisher
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. mate — to breed
  7. capital — money
  8. press — newspapers
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. mate — a friend
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. capital — a city
  15. press — to push
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. cell — in biology
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cell — a phone
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. bowl — a dish

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