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 120 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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. can — a tin
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cap — a hat
  5. clip — for paper
  6. cap — a lid
  7. degree — temperature
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. bear — the animal
  10. field — farmland
  11. bear — the animal
  12. degree — from a university
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. clip — a video
  15. can — to be able to
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — a subject
  18. can — a tin
  19. degree — an amount
  20. press — a publisher
  21. press — newspapers
  22. clip — to cut
  23. cap — of ice
  24. bear — to put up with

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