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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. bore — to tire
  3. current — happening now
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. file — a tool
  6. club — a group
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. club — for golf
  9. current — of water
  10. tube — a container
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — for paper
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. file — a document
  15. tube — the underground
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bore — to drill
  19. press — a publisher
  20. wake — a trail
  21. press — newspapers
  22. clip — a video
  23. current — electric
  24. club — for dancing

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