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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. pop — to visit
  3. press — to push
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. last — final
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. bat — the animal
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. charge — electricity
  11. charge — a price
  12. chair — a leader
  13. last — finally
  14. press — a publisher
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. branch — a division
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. charge — in control
  22. press — newspapers
  23. pop — soda
  24. pop — music

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