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 · snap · pop · tube · tear · swing · face · can

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — a publisher
  3. swing — to play on
  4. tear — to rip
  5. can — to be able to
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — to point toward
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. can — a tin
  13. face — part of the head
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. press — newspapers
  16. tube — a container
  17. can — a tin
  18. pop — music
  19. swing — music
  20. snap — to click
  21. pop — soda
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pop — to visit
  24. swing — in golf

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