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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. fall — to drop
  3. press — to push
  4. chest — a box
  5. spring — the season
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. spring — of water
  8. fall — to drop
  9. spring — a coil
  10. track — a song
  11. branch — a division
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. chest — of your body
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. track — to keep track
  18. fall — the season
  19. press — newspapers
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. pass — a permit
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. track — a path
  24. press — a publisher

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