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 · pit · rush · capital · perch · mate · cue · root

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. capital — a city
  3. root — of a plant
  4. root — of a word
  5. capital — money
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. mate — a friend
  8. rush — hurry
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — to breed
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pit — a hole
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. press — to push
  16. cue — for pool
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. press — newspapers
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cue — a hint
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. root — the cause
  24. perch — the fish

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