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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. present — the time now
  3. chest — of your body
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. clip — to cut
  6. chest — a box
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. present — there
  9. press — to push
  10. rock — a stone
  11. clip — a video
  12. present — a gift
  13. clip — for paper
  14. saw — the tool
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — the fruit
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. chest — of your body
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — a publisher
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rock — music
  24. saw — the tool

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