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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. wake — a trail
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. press — newspapers
  6. fine — all right
  7. field — for sport
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. spring — the season
  10. clip — to cut
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. clip — for paper
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. field — a subject
  16. clip — a video
  17. press — to push
  18. field — farmland
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. spring — a coil
  23. press — a publisher
  24. spring — of water

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