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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. can — to be able to
  5. firm — a company
  6. ground — a position
  7. capital — a city
  8. pitch — completely
  9. court — for sport
  10. can — a tin
  11. capital — money
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. court — of a king
  14. ground — crushed
  15. press — to push
  16. rash — hasty
  17. firm — decided
  18. rash — a series
  19. press — newspapers
  20. firm — steady
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. court — of law
  23. can — a tin
  24. ground — the earth

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