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: game · lie · press · pit · prune · pitch · march · fan

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. pit — in a race
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. press — to push
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pitch — completely
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. game — wild animals
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pit — a hole
  13. game — a match
  14. march — music
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — a publisher
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. march — the month
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. march — the month
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. lie — to recline

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