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 120 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: shower · rush · press · scale · stand · fall · march · lie

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — to recline
  4. rush — hurry
  5. march — music
  6. scale — in music
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — a publisher
  9. march — the month
  10. march — the month
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — to drop
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. scale — size or range
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. shower — to wash
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. press — to push
  22. fall — the season
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. shower — rain

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