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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. wake — a trail
  4. pitch — completely
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. game — wild animals
  9. press — to push
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — to trim
  13. game — a match
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. cold — not warm
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. cold — an illness
  22. press — newspapers
  23. press — a publisher
  24. cold — the Cold War

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