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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. cold — an illness
  4. press — to push
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. pass — a permit
  9. suit — to fit
  10. suit — in cards
  11. cold — not warm
  12. bat — the animal
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. press — a publisher
  18. suit — clothes
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. press — newspapers
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pitch — completely
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. arm — part of the body

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