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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. hand — help
  3. mark — a grade
  4. spring — of water
  5. clip — a video
  6. swing — in golf
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. swing — music
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — a contest
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. clip — for paper
  14. mark — a trace
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — to push
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — a coil
  20. swing — to play on
  21. clip — to cut
  22. hand — in cards
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. press — a publisher

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