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: pitch · press · fall · rest · date · chest · season · wind

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pitch — completely
  3. wind — moving air
  4. rest — a break
  5. press — newspapers
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — the season
  13. press — to push
  14. season — in sport
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. wind — moving air
  17. rest — what's left
  18. season — of the year
  19. chest — a box
  20. press — a publisher
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. rest — what's left
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. date — the fruit

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