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 · cue · court · bay · shower · rash · last · spring

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — a series
  3. press — newspapers
  4. cue — a hint
  5. court — of law
  6. press — a publisher
  7. shower — to wash
  8. court — for sport
  9. last — to go on
  10. shower — rain
  11. rash — hasty
  12. cue — a signal
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. press — to push
  15. spring — the season
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. spring — a coil
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. spring — of water
  20. last — finally
  21. cue — for pool
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. court — of a king
  24. last — final

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