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: tear · toast · stick · shower · staff · press · charge · mug

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. staff — a stick
  4. press — to push
  5. charge — electricity
  6. tear — to rip
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. shower — to wash
  10. staff — employees
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mug — a cup
  13. press — a publisher
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. toast — bread
  17. staff — employees
  18. mug — to rob
  19. shower — rain
  20. charge — a price
  21. press — newspapers
  22. tear — from crying
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. charge — in control

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