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 120 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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. march — the month
  4. saw — the tool
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. tear — from crying
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. clip — for paper
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. tear — to rip
  12. stem — to come from
  13. press — newspapers
  14. degree — from a university
  15. march — music
  16. press — to push
  17. degree — an amount
  18. saw — the tool
  19. tear — from crying
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — to cut
  23. march — the month
  24. degree — temperature

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