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 116 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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. net — for catching
  3. clip — to cut
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. present — a gift
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. press — newspapers
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. vault — a safe
  14. net — after costs
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. present — there
  17. wax — to grow
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. press — a publisher
  20. clip — a video
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. press — to push
  23. present — the time now
  24. net — in sport

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