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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. press — a publisher
  3. press — to push
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. clip — to cut
  11. press — newspapers
  12. charge — electricity
  13. wax — to grow
  14. bass — the fish
  15. clip — a video
  16. charge — a price
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pit — in a race
  23. charge — in control
  24. clip — for paper

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