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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. clip — a video
  5. cold — an illness
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. press — newspapers
  8. fine — all right
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. chip — to eat
  11. clip — to cut
  12. press — to push
  13. cue — a hint
  14. clip — for paper
  15. mine — for digging
  16. wake — a trail
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. cold — not warm
  21. chip — for betting
  22. press — a publisher
  23. cue — for pool
  24. cue — a signal

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