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 116 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 · wind · plane · mouse · stock · kid · pitcher · bay

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. wind — moving air
  4. press — to push
  5. kid — to tease
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. plane — a tool
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — goods
  11. press — a publisher
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. kid — child
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. press — newspapers

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