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: rash · squash · saw · game · march · press · cell · can

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. rash — hasty
  5. cell — a phone
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. march — the month
  8. press — a publisher
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. rash — a series
  11. saw — the tool
  12. march — music
  13. press — newspapers
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. squash — the sport
  16. march — the month
  17. press — to push
  18. game — wild animals
  19. can — a tin
  20. saw — the tool
  21. can — a tin
  22. game — a match
  23. cell — in biology
  24. can — to be able to

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