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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. press — to push
  5. snap — to click
  6. roll — a cake
  7. press — a publisher
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. track — to keep track
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. hand — in cards
  14. pass — a permit
  15. hand — help
  16. chair — a leader
  17. press — newspapers
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. track — a song
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pitch — completely
  23. track — a path
  24. hand — part of the body

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