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: mug · press · racket · field · cabinet · spring · safe · hide

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. field — for sport
  4. mug — a cup
  5. press — newspapers
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. spring — the season
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. press — a publisher
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — of water
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. mug — a face
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. press — to push
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. field — farmland
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. field — a subject
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. mug — to rob

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