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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: press · content · vault · cold · foot · march · rush · pitch

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. cold — not warm
  3. press — to push
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. vault — a safe
  6. pitch — completely
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. march — the month
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. march — music
  12. press — newspapers
  13. content — happy
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. content — the amount
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. press — a publisher
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cold — an illness
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. rush — hurry
  23. march — the month
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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