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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. mate — a friend
  3. fine — high quality
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. root — the cause
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. wake — a trail
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. root — of a plant
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. root — of a word
  14. capital — a city
  15. press — to push
  16. fine — all right
  17. press — a publisher
  18. cell — a phone
  19. capital — money
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a partner
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. press — newspapers
  24. cell — in biology

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