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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. press — to push
  3. spell — a short time
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. press — newspapers
  6. spell — letters
  7. rush — hurry
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. tube — the underground
  10. clip — to cut
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. bark — to shout
  13. rock — a stone
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. rock — music
  16. clip — a video
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a city
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. tube — a container
  21. spell — magic
  22. press — a publisher
  23. clip — for paper
  24. rock — to move gently

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