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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. press — to push
  4. clip — a video
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. cue — for pool
  8. lean — to bend
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. degree — an amount
  11. clip — to cut
  12. cue — a signal
  13. lean — thin
  14. cap — a lid
  15. degree — temperature
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. cap — of ice
  18. degree — from a university
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cap — a hat
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. press — newspapers

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