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: straw · spring · row · press · foot · land · season · rest

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. spring — of water
  3. land — to come down
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. press — a publisher
  7. rest — what's left
  8. spring — a coil
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. rest — a break
  13. season — of the year
  14. land — a country
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a line
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. spring — the season
  20. press — to push
  21. press — newspapers
  22. land — ground
  23. season — in sport
  24. rest — what's left

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