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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. press — a publisher
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. can — a tin
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. can — to be able to
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. press — to push
  10. pitch — completely
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. mine — for digging
  17. hand — in cards
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. hand — help
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. press — newspapers
  23. can — a tin
  24. mine — an explosive

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