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: bark · press · wound · saw · kid · race · pit · cabinet

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. kid — to tease
  3. race — the arms race
  4. race — humankind
  5. pit — a hole
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — newspapers
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. pit — in a race
  14. kid — child
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. wound — an injury
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. bark — to shout
  21. saw — the tool
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. race — a contest

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