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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. press — to push
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. chest — a box
  7. branch — a division
  8. chest — of your body
  9. degree — from a university
  10. mine — for digging
  11. chest — of your body
  12. press — a publisher
  13. pop — to visit
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. pop — music
  16. pop — soda
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. press — newspapers
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. pitch — completely
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. degree — temperature
  24. degree — an amount

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