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 116 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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. wound — an injury
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. clip — to cut
  7. game — a match
  8. clip — for paper
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. game — wild animals
  11. wound — an injury
  12. cue — a signal
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. press — to push
  15. mark — a grade
  16. press — a publisher
  17. cue — a hint
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. press — newspapers
  20. mine — for digging
  21. clip — a video
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mark — a trace
  24. cue — for pool

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