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

Word bank: ground · leaves · face · cell · capital · press · shower · bat

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. ground — the earth
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. press — a publisher
  5. press — to push
  6. ground — crushed
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. capital — a city
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. face — to point toward
  11. shower — to wash
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. bat — the animal
  14. face — part of the head
  15. shower — rain
  16. ground — a position
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. cell — a phone
  19. press — newspapers
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. capital — money
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cell — in biology
  24. face — to confront

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