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: chest · press · bat · pound · cabinet · foot · bear · pitch

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. pitch — completely
  4. press — to push
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. bat — the animal
  9. chest — of your body
  10. press — newspapers
  11. pound — a weight
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. press — a publisher
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bear — the animal
  17. chest — a box
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. foot — a measure

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