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: track · board · season · press · bat · mate · bore · wind

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mate — to breed
  4. wind — moving air
  5. board — to get on
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. press — a publisher
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. wind — moving air
  10. press — to push
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bore — to tire
  13. board — a committee
  14. season — in sport
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. press — newspapers
  17. mate — a partner
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. track — a song
  20. season — of the year
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. bore — to drill

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