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: chair · ground · coach · press · court · rock · branch · row

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. row — a line
  5. row — to paddle
  6. ground — a position
  7. court — of law
  8. branch — a division
  9. press — newspapers
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. press — to push
  12. chair — a leader
  13. ground — crushed
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. court — for sport
  16. rock — music
  17. press — a publisher
  18. rock — a stone
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. court — of a king
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. ground — the earth

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