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: net · nail · squash · perch · chair · press · field · branch

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. press — a publisher
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. net — in sport
  6. squash — to crush
  7. field — for sport
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — the fish
  10. net — after costs
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. field — a subject
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. field — farmland
  16. press — newspapers
  17. branch — a division
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. press — to push
  20. chair — a leader
  21. squash — the sport
  22. net — for catching
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. nail — for a hammer

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