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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. content — happy
  4. march — the month
  5. clip — to cut
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. content — the amount
  8. press — to push
  9. net — for catching
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. stand — to bear
  13. file — a line of people
  14. clip — for paper
  15. press — a publisher
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. march — music
  19. net — after costs
  20. file — a tool
  21. march — the month
  22. net — in sport
  23. clip — a video
  24. file — a document

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