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: bank · track · deal · bark · net · bound · coach · press

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a path
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. bound — obliged
  6. track — a song
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. press — a publisher
  10. bark — to shout
  11. net — in sport
  12. net — for catching
  13. deal — to handle
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. net — after costs
  20. bank — for money
  21. press — newspapers
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bound — certain
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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