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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. press — to push
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. press — a publisher
  5. march — the month
  6. kick — in football
  7. branch — a division
  8. row — a line
  9. pit — in a race
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. bark — to shout
  14. march — the month
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. row — to paddle
  18. march — music
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. pit — a hole
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. press — newspapers
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. foot — a measure

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