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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. clip — for paper
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. chest — of your body
  6. press — to push
  7. press — newspapers
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. perch — the fish
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — to grow
  13. clip — a video
  14. vault — a safe
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. clip — to cut
  17. chest — a box
  18. chest — of your body
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — a country
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. land — ground
  24. racket — a loud noise

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