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 · toast · mine · chip · wound · bark · court · sharp

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. court — of law
  3. chip — for betting
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. press — a publisher
  7. toast — bread
  8. press — to push
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chip — to eat
  11. sharp — clever
  12. bark — to shout
  13. press — newspapers
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. mine — for digging
  16. wound — an injury
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. court — for sport
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. court — of a king

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