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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. court — of law
  3. clip — for paper
  4. clip — a video
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — in music
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. court — for sport
  10. fall — the season
  11. press — a publisher
  12. fall — to drop
  13. cue — a signal
  14. key — for a lock
  15. rash — hasty
  16. cue — for pool
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — to push
  19. cue — a hint
  20. court — of a king
  21. clip — to cut
  22. rash — a series
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — a division

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