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: ground · press · branch · ball · rash · game · last · object

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. last — to go on
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. press — to push
  5. object — a thing
  6. ground — a position
  7. game — wild animals
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. object — an aim
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. ball — a dance
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. ball — a great time
  15. branch — a division
  16. game — a match
  17. ground — crushed
  18. press — newspapers
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. last — final
  21. ground — the earth
  22. last — finally
  23. press — a publisher
  24. rash — hasty

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