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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. prune — to trim
  3. suit — in cards
  4. press — a publisher
  5. suit — to fit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. clip — for paper
  9. cap — of ice
  10. squash — to crush
  11. cap — a hat
  12. suit — clothes
  13. squash — the sport
  14. row — to paddle
  15. stand — to bear
  16. press — to push
  17. cap — a lid
  18. row — a line
  19. press — newspapers
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. clip — a video

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