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 120 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 · spell · pitch · bowl · tube · prune · chair · bat

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. spell — a short time
  3. press — to push
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. tube — a container
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. chair — a leader
  9. press — newspapers
  10. spell — letters
  11. prune — to trim
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. tube — the underground
  17. press — a publisher
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. spell — magic
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. pitch — completely
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. bat — the animal
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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