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: chair · press · face · stock · mug · bulb · chest · cold

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. face — to confront
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. face — to point toward
  6. press — a publisher
  7. chest — a box
  8. press — newspapers
  9. face — part of the head
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. chest — of your body
  12. cold — an illness
  13. mug — a face
  14. mug — to rob
  15. cold — not warm
  16. chair — a leader
  17. bulb — for light
  18. mug — a cup
  19. stock — shares
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. stock — goods
  23. press — to push
  24. bulb — for light

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