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 116 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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — a leader
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. mine — for digging
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. cue — a signal
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. press — newspapers
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. cue — for pool
  11. press — to push
  12. cue — a hint
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a committee
  16. press — a publisher
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bank — for money
  19. pitch — completely
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. bank — for money

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