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: spell · press · ruler · shower · cap · wind · pop · court

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. shower — to wash
  3. pop — soda
  4. wind — moving air
  5. spell — letters
  6. shower — rain
  7. court — for sport
  8. wind — moving air
  9. spell — magic
  10. court — of law
  11. press — newspapers
  12. cap — a hat
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. court — of a king
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. pop — to visit
  17. cap — a lid
  18. press — a publisher
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. cap — of ice
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. spell — a short time
  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