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: rest · pit · pitch · hand · bat · kid · press · fork

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. press — a publisher
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. rest — what's left
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. pitch — completely
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. kid — child
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pit — a hole
  12. bat — the animal
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. rest — what's left
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. press — to push
  20. hand — in cards
  21. pit — in a race
  22. hand — help
  23. press — newspapers
  24. rest — a break

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