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: press · shower · kid · deal · calf · drill · toast · season

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. shower — to wash
  3. press — a publisher
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. press — to push
  7. season — in sport
  8. deal — to handle
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. drill — a practice
  11. press — newspapers
  12. toast — bread
  13. kid — to tease
  14. shower — rain
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. kid — child
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. drill — army training
  19. drill — the tool
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. season — of the year
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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