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: press · rest · capital · snap · present · lean · court · root

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  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. press — a publisher
  2. court — of law
  3. press — to push
  4. present — a gift
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. capital — money
  7. present — the time now
  8. lean — to bend
  9. root — the cause
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. lean — thin
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. present — there
  14. root — of a word
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — what's left
  17. capital — a city
  18. snap — to click
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. root — of a plant
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — for sport
  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