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: saw · press · mine · perch · wound · cold · mouse · present

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. press — newspapers
  3. wound — an injury
  4. press — a publisher
  5. present — the time now
  6. present — there
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. cold — not warm
  11. press — to push
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. perch — the fish
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. present — a gift
  19. saw — the tool
  20. mine — for digging
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. mouse — the animal

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