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: mate · ball · board · ground · cold · stem · patient · press

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. board — a committee
  4. board — to get on
  5. ground — a position
  6. cold — an illness
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. mate — to breed
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. press — to push
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. ball — a great time
  13. mate — a partner
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. cold — not warm
  16. stem — to come from
  17. ground — the earth
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. press — newspapers
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ground — crushed
  24. mate — a friend

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