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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. press — to push
  4. degree — from a university
  5. bass — the fish
  6. hand — in cards
  7. pit — a hole
  8. degree — temperature
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. degree — an amount
  13. clip — a video
  14. press — newspapers
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. clip — to cut
  18. press — a publisher
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. hand — help
  22. plane — a tool
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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