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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. content — happy
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. date — the fruit
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. clip — a video
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. press — to push
  11. content — the amount
  12. press — newspapers
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. press — a publisher
  15. pound — a weight
  16. clip — for paper
  17. cold — an illness
  18. lie — to recline
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. cold — not warm
  21. clip — to cut
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. pound — to hit hard

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