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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. present — the time now
  7. ball — a great time
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. ball — a dance
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. present — there
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. press — to push
  15. present — a gift
  16. press — newspapers
  17. sharp — clever
  18. clip — a video
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. clip — for paper
  21. swing — in golf
  22. press — a publisher
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — to play on

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