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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  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. press — newspapers
  2. tube — the underground
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. cold — not warm
  5. march — the month
  6. press — to push
  7. current — happening now
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. march — the month
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. current — of water
  13. press — a publisher
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. clip — for paper
  16. current — electric
  17. clip — to cut
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. march — music
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — in a tire
  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