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 120 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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. press — to push
  3. capital — a city
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — farmland
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. pit — a hole
  9. press — newspapers
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. scale — in music
  12. capital — money
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — of water
  15. scale — size or range
  16. lean — thin
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. pit — in a race
  19. press — a publisher
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. field — for sport

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