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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. roll — a cake
  3. mate — to breed
  4. charge — in control
  5. charge — a price
  6. charge — electricity
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — for sport
  9. stem — to come from
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. cap — a hat
  12. current — happening now
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. cap — of ice
  16. current — electric
  17. cap — a lid
  18. current — of water
  19. roll — a list
  20. field — farmland
  21. press — newspapers
  22. press — a publisher
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mate — a partner

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