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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. charge — a price
  3. chest — a box
  4. press — a publisher
  5. roll — a cake
  6. season — of the year
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. season — in sport
  9. chest — of your body
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. degree — an amount
  12. press — to push
  13. charge — in control
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. degree — from a university
  16. lean — thin
  17. chest — of your body
  18. degree — temperature
  19. charge — electricity
  20. press — newspapers
  21. lean — to bend
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. trunk — of a car

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