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: mine · branch · jam · mug · capital · present · pit · press

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. mug — a face
  4. press — a publisher
  5. capital — a city
  6. mine — for digging
  7. press — to push
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. mug — to rob
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. pit — a hole
  14. present — a gift
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. present — there
  19. capital — money
  20. pit — in a race
  21. press — newspapers
  22. present — the time now
  23. branch — a division
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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