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: bank · game · bat · mine · wave · press · trunk · capital

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. mine — for digging
  4. game — wild animals
  5. capital — a city
  6. press — a publisher
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. bank — for money
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. capital — money
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. bank — of a river
  15. press — newspapers
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. press — to push
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bank — for money
  24. game — a match

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