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: wound · rash · chair · bay · game · root · press · present

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. rash — hasty
  3. wound — an injury
  4. present — a gift
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. press — a publisher
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. root — the cause
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. wound — an injury
  13. chair — a leader
  14. present — the time now
  15. game — a match
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. root — of a plant
  18. press — newspapers
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. present — there
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. rash — a series
  24. root — of a word

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