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: fall · staff · mine · capital · racket · press · ground · cabinet

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. staff — a stick
  5. fall — to drop
  6. ground — crushed
  7. press — newspapers
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — money
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. staff — employees
  12. press — to push
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. mine — for digging
  15. fall — the season
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. staff — employees
  19. ground — a position
  20. fall — to drop
  21. ground — the earth
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. racket — for tennis

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