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: hand · jam · fine · pound · chair · last · press · roll

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. pound — a weight
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. last — finally
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. fine — high quality
  10. press — a publisher
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. roll — a cake
  14. chair — a leader
  15. last — to go on
  16. hand — help
  17. press — to push
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. hand — in cards
  21. last — final
  22. roll — a list
  23. fine — all right
  24. press — newspapers

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