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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. press — a publisher
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. land — to come down
  5. file — a line of people
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. press — to push
  9. squash — the sport
  10. file — a tool
  11. root — of a plant
  12. land — ground
  13. file — a document
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pitch — completely
  16. squash — to crush
  17. root — the cause
  18. clip — for paper
  19. mark — a grade
  20. land — a country
  21. press — newspapers
  22. root — of a word
  23. clip — a video
  24. mark — a trace

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