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: craft · hide · hand · press · shower · stock · tube · cabinet

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. press — a publisher
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. craft — a skill
  8. stock — shares
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. tube — the underground
  12. shower — to wash
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. stock — goods
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. craft — boats
  17. tube — a container
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. press — newspapers
  20. hand — help
  21. shower — rain
  22. hand — in cards
  23. press — to push
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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