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 116 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: fall · bound · staff · press · saw · band · fork · shower

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. press — a publisher
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — employees
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. saw — the tool
  9. shower — to wash
  10. bound — tied together
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — the season
  13. saw — the tool
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. press — newspapers
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. band — a ring
  20. bound — certain
  21. fork — in a road
  22. band — a music group
  23. staff — a stick
  24. press — to push

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