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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. clip — to cut
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. press — a publisher
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. capital — a city
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stem — to come from
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. press — to push
  15. clip — for paper
  16. capital — money
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. clip — a video
  19. ball — a dance
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. ball — a great time
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. hide — animal skin

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