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: trunk · court · rush · wind · fork · mine · kid · press

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. press — newspapers
  3. wind — moving air
  4. press — to push
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — in a road
  7. court — of law
  8. press — a publisher
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. court — of a king
  12. mine — for digging
  13. kid — to tease
  14. wind — moving air
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. court — for sport
  20. kid — child
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. wind — to turn a key

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