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: press · file · pitch · chest · net · last · temple · chair

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. press — newspapers
  3. press — a publisher
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. chair — a leader
  6. net — for catching
  7. last — final
  8. press — to push
  9. last — to go on
  10. chest — of your body
  11. file — a document
  12. net — after costs
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. file — a line of people
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. file — a tool
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. chest — of your body
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. last — finally
  21. net — in sport
  22. chest — a box
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. pitch — completely

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